Only One
by popcan11
Summary: Peeta and Katniss are District 4's tributes for the 74th annual Hunger Games while Madge and Gale are district 12's. One duo are best friends while the other two can't stand each other. But only one tribute can win. Everlark/Gadge.*Sequel coming soon.*
1. Chapter 1

The water was finally warming up under the scorching sun. It splashed around my feet as I took careful steps deeper into the sea. I didn't want to scare off any fish. When the water was up to my waist, I spotted a school of fish a few feet from me. I motioned over my best friend with my hand and he headed in my direction. I nudged my head towards the fish and he nodded, understanding my silent signal. I mouthed the words, "Ready, set, go." And on _go_, he threw down the net and I sent my trident in the direction of the fish, spearing three of them at once. We dragged the net to shore and put our catches in a bucket.

"We have ourselves a feast, Katniss." Peeta Mellark said to me with a large and contagious grin.

I smiled back and said, "Looks that way, doesn't it, Peeta?"

He nodded and told me he was going to start a fire further up shore while I cleaned the fish. Even with that welcomed distraction, I knew I couldn't avoid the truth forever.

It was reaping day for the 74th annual hunger games.

I took out my best knife and started gutting the fish. I had seen it done a million times by my own mother and father. Well, when my father was alive, anyways. He died in a tragic boating accident when his crew went out fishing during a horrible storm. After that, my mother shut down and I had to practically take over the family business. My father had taught me a lot prior to his death, but the things he didn't teach me, I had to learn on my own.

We caught and sold fish for members of our district, district 4. Peeta Mellark's family did the same. That was how we met, actually. When my parents complained of the Mellark's opening up their own fishing shop a few miles from ours, they marched over there to work out some kind of deal.

And that's when I saw him. The young blond haired boy carrying a net and a small trident standing behind his mother. He was begging her to let him go to the beach to fish. She was in the middle of a heated argument with my own parents so she told him he could do whatever. I followed him to the shoreline curiously and watched him struggle to catch a fish.

"You're too noisy. You're scaring off the fish." I called to him from the sand.

He turned around and cocked his head at me in confusion. We were both only eight at the time. He didn't get mad at my criticism like I would've done. Instead, his puzzled expression turned into a curious one. "Then teach me how to be more quiet." He said in a gentle voice.

And thus, our friendship was born. The steady and kind boy and the stubborn and icy girl. Peeta provided me with a balance I didn't know I needed. I gave him some fire to ignite his flame and he gave me water to cool mine down. The perfect friendship that nobody could ever understand. Not even us, sometimes.

I finished gutting the fish and brought them over to Peeta's fire. He made a makeshift skillet and I tossed the fish on it to fry. I sat down next to Peeta on an abandoned log left on the beach. My stomach swirled around in an uncomfortable way in anticipation of the reaping. Peeta and I never had to sign up for the Tessera, like some other children. Our families had done pretty well with their fishing shops. And being sixteen, our names were only in that bowl five times each.

I had no reason to be nervous. But yes, I was. Peeta must've sensed my worry because he turned to me and put his hand on my knee gently. I looked up at him and he gave me a reassuring smile. I tried to return it but it didn't quite reach my eyes.

"Katniss, don't worry about today, alright? You'll be fine."

I nodded. "I know, I know. But what about Prim? It's her first year and-"

"Prim will be fine, too. We will all be fine." Peeta interrupted me. He sounded so sure of himself that I almost believed him. "And besides," He added, "If you do get reaped, at least you're handy with a trident."

I laughed. "Ah, yes. I will spear everyone to death like they are nothing more than some fish swimming around in the salty water." I replied sarcastically. Although, that was how one member of our district had won the 65th Hunger Games.

"Katniss, you could spear someone from twenty feet way. You're that good with the thing."

I rolled my eyes because I hated when he complimented me. It only left me feeling awkward and weird. "Yeah, well. You're strong from lugging around those huge barrels of fish all the time. I bet your strength would get you far in the arena, even if your aim with the trident isn't nearly as exact as mine." I teased.

"Sorry, we can't all be Katniss Everdeen. Now get our fish before it gets too hot."

We ate our food quickly knowing we had to get home to get ready for the reaping. We gathered our things and headed towards town. We reached Peeta's house and fishing shop first and I waved him a goodbye and told him I'd see him soon.

"See you soon, Katniss." He said back with a certain sparkle in his eyes that only Peeta seemed to be capable of.

I walked the two miles over to my own house and stepped inside to see my mother dressing Prim. I smiled at my little sister.

"You look beautiful, Prim."

"Go change, Katniss! We can't be late." She said nervously. I hurried and changed into a blue dress and wore my dark hair down my back in waves.

Grabbing Prim's hand, I tried to tuck away all emotion so Prim wouldn't sense my fear. I had a bad feeling about this reaping that I couldn't seem to shake.

"You ready, little duck?"

She smiled up at him and said sweetly, "If you are."

* * *

"Madge? Where are you?" My father called to me from the other room. I quickly pulled my blond hair down into a side braid and tied it together with a light pink ribbon. Taking one final look in the mirror, I let out a shaky breath and then turned to leave my bedroom.

As I stepped into my fathers office, he stood up from his desk and came over to me. He pulled me into a tight hug, my head resting against his beating heart. He kissed my temple and then pulled back to look at me.

"You look beautiful, Madge." He said, his voice catching on those few words. He was just as nervous as I was. I didn't really have a reason to be. My name was only in that ball five times. Five slips out of hundreds. Being from a poorer district, a lot of children had their name in their over thirty times. I was considered one of the lucky ones.

"Thank you. Is mother up?" I asked.

He gave me a sad smile and touched my braid gently. "No, sweetheart, she's not. She's very sick today."

My mother was always sick. It had been that way for as long as I could remember. I gave my father a fake smile and told him it was okay. But it wasn't. I needed my mother. I was scared to death. I couldn't do this without her.

But I had to.

"You ready to go then?" My father asked me then, cupping my cheek.

No. I wasn't ready. I would never be ready to stand in that square and wonder if my name would be reaped. I was the mayor's daughter, yes. But that didn't exclude me from the reaping. Even my father, who had _some_ control, was utterly powerless when it came to the games. But I didn't have a choice. Even if I wasn't ready, I had to be ready. Because this was Panem and this was my life and nothing would ever change.

So I nodded my head and my father put his hand on the small of my back as we walked to the square. It was already crowded and lined with children who wore the same expression on their face as I did; a mixture of fear and anxiety and hidden disgust. Effie Trinket was tapping on the mic and checking the sound wearing one of her absurd outfits and pink hair.

"Welcome to the 74th annual hunger games!" She exclaimed a few minutes later.

My father was sitting on the stage and I watched his eyes sweep over the 16 year old girl section, looking for me. When they settled on me, he gave me a reassuring smile. I tried my best to return it but it didn't seem very convincing. Before I knew it, Effie was reaching into the girl's ball and I was sure I was going to pass out, because I had this feeling. This burning as the very bottom of my stomach that was slowly working it's way up my system. This horrible, gut feeling that just _knew_, knew without a doubt, that my name would be on that slip.

And it was.

"Madge Undersee!" Her voice boomed out across district 12 and it went dead silent. Because I wasn't an ordinary 16 year old. I was the mayor's daughter. I wasn't supposed to be going into the games. My name was only in there five times. You could count that on one hand! I tried my best to remain emotionless as I walked to the stage, every single pair of eyes on me. I wouldn't cry. I wouldn't scream or break down. Not now. Not in front of everyone. I would remain expressionless. I would remain brave.

Effie's hand was now in the boys ball and when it pulled out that tiny slip and read off the name, "Gale Hawthorne," I had to bite my lip to keep myself from gasping out loud. _Why? Why him? Why him of all people?_

He took the stage with sturdy steps and when his eyes locked on mine, he didn't seem so afraid. He didn't seem angry. He didn't seem like much of anything. Like me, he had tuned out everything and was trying his best to not show emotion. He was doing a much better job than I was, especially at that very moment. Because looking into the eyes of Gale Hawthorne reminded me of that fateful day four years ago when I helped him. And how ever since then, any conversation he's ever had with me as been filled with anger and hatred. And how I hate him too. Or at least, I want to. Because what kind of person treats you like that after you save their life? What kind of person hates you for that?

"Shake hands, you two!" Effie was saying to us then, pulling me out of my mind and back to the horrid reality. Gale held out his hand but looked towards the ground. I grabbed it and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. Because no matter how low Gale could stoop, I wasn't Gale. And regardless of how horrible of a person he was, I was a decent human being. And I would stay that way. No boy or capitol or stupid games would change that. His eyes found mine and I nodded my head at him. Just once. Just as a simple gesture. Just to let him know that regardless of how we felt about each other, we were in this together now.

* * *

"Katniss Everdeen!"

_I knew it. I knew it. I knew it. I knew it. I knew it._

Those were the only words that seemed to flow through my mind when my name was read. No other thoughts, fears, feelings. Just those three words. _I knew it. _I repeated them to myself as I took my place on the stage, looking anywhere but at my sobbing sister, Prim. I didn't even attempt to find Peeta in the crowd because I didn't even want to know what he looked like right about then. Instead, those three words repeated themselves in my mind over and over again and they somehow comforted me, somehow kept me from all the other things I should've been feeling and thinking. They somehow kept me from losing control.

And then the boy tribute was being called and I didn't recognize the name. "Lansing Redstone!"

A 14 year old boy with light golden hair and green eyes began to walk towards me. And then, I saw him. I saw him running towards the stage, brushing past the 14 year old boy with an intense urgency. And I knew what he was going to say and I wanted to scream out to him. _No. Stop. Don't do this. Don't you dare do this. _But I knew my words would not change his mind.

"I volunteer!" Peeta said practically screaming those fateful words. "I volunteer as tribute!"

There was some confusion because, although four sometimes had volunteers, they were more common in the top career districts, like one and two. But then, Finnick Odair the past District 4 Victor from the 65th Games, spoke up.

"Just let him come up on stage already! Screw the rules."

I turned to Finnick and he winked at me. I looked away quickly, my cheeks blushing. Everyone knew Finnick Odair. He had probably slept with more than half of the women in the capitol. Flirty and gorgeous, he was the most wanted 24 year old in the entire nation. But his charm wouldn't work on me. Besides, he was my mentor now. He had to help me, not try to get me in bed.

Peeta took the stage and when he shook my hand, I squeezed it so tight, I was sure it would leave bruises on his hand. _Good_, I thought. _That's what you get for doing this. I will never forgive you. _

"I hate you." I whispered as quietly as possible, my voice wavering. I was still holding onto his hand with as much force as possible.

His eyes were filling with tears but he didn't let them fall. He ran his thumb over my own soothingly and whispered back, "I'd hate myself if I didn't do this, Katniss"

And then we dropped hands and were being pulled in two separate directions. We had one hour to say our goodbyes. I caught one final glimpse of Peeta before they shoved him into his room. He gave me a reassuring nod and mouthed the words, "You will be fine."

The same words he said to me just an hour ago when we had sat on the beach. He was still Peeta. He was still the same steady and loving boy, even under the darkest of circumstances. And I knew why he had volunteered. He wanted to protect me. And he knew that meant his own death. And I hated him for that. Because Peeta Mellark thought by letting me live, he was saving my life. But what life did I really have without my best friend?

No, Peeta didn't get to save my life. Not on my watch. I was strong and fast and good with a trident and with nets. That's how Finnick won the games after all. I would keep Peeta alive. Because I could never go home if I let him die for me. I would keep him alive and district four would have another winner this year.

* * *

**A/N: I decided to do this in both Madge and Katniss's POV. I was going to do all four but it's more fun if you don't always know whats going on in someones head! PLEASE review and let me know what you think and honestly, reviews give me motivation and I end up updated sooner rather than later!**


	2. Chapter 2

My father was the first one in the room. I ran to him, wrapping my arms around his waist with urgency. He was trying not to cry. I could tell by the way he didn't say anything for a few moments, working on fighting back the tears. When he pulled me away from him, he kept his arms tightly on my shoulders.

"Madge, you need to listen to me." He said forcefully. "I'm not going down without a fight. And neither are you. I'm going to... I'm going to get you out of there."

I shook my head, not understanding. "I don't... I don't know what you mean, dad."

He looked behind him to make sure the door was shut. Then he said in a hushed whisper, "I will come up with something. A plan of some kind and work with Haymitch to save you... to save the boy tribute too. To save as many kids as possible."

"That's impossible. You have no power in the games!" I whispered back.

"I'm not promising anything but I swear to you, I will do my best. And you know I will fight like hell for you."

I was crying now. Because he was being ridiculous. Because if he tried anything, he would get himself killed. He had to know that. Had to know any futile attempts at saving me would be useless. Nobody could go up against the capitol. Nobody. "Dad, don't." I whispered through my tears.

He kissed my cheek and I watched as a tear slid down his own. "I love you, Madge. I love you so much. I'll see you soon."

Then the guards were pulling him away from me. And I wanted more time. More time with my father. More time to convince him that he could not save me, no matter what he did.

I didn't have a visitor for a long time. I didn't really expect anymore, actually. I kept to myself at school. Ate lunch alone, did my homework alone. It wasn't a horrible life. I just never connected with anyone enough to consider them a friend really.

The doors opened and there was my mother in a wheelchair, being wheeled in by a guard. She had made it. I threw my arms around her neck and fought back the hot tears that were playing on the edges of my eye lids. When I pulled back she held my hand tightly and smiled at me weakly. She was so, so sick.

"Madge, honey." She said in a soft, gentle voice.

"I'm scared." I said back quickly.

She nodded. "I know. But you're strong. And smart. And brave."

I shook my head and a tear fell from my eye. I wiped it away quickly. "I am _not _brave."

"Yes, you are." She said sternly. Then she pulled something out of her pocket. "Here, baby. Wear this. It will make you brave."

I examined the Mockingjay pin and took it from her hands. I pinned it onto my dress and then turned back to my mother. She smiled and said, "Looks beautiful on you. It was your aunts."

My Aunt. She had died in the games herself. And now I would die too. My eyes locked on hers and all I could manage to say without breaking down into sobs was, "Thank you."

She touched my cheek gently and told me that she loved me. I couldn't even say it back, because I knew I would certainly cry. Instead I nodded my head and let her kiss my hand. The doors opened again and they wheeled her out, leaving me completely alone. I slid against the wall and bit my lip to stop the tears. I couldn't break down at a time like this. I had to be strong. I had to be okay. I had to be the brave girl my parents thought I was. When I composed myself, I stepped out of the room and a guard led me onto a carriage that would take me to the train. Gale was already on the carriage and when I sat next to him, he looked over at me.

I licked my lips and tried to manage a reassuring smile. He narrowed his eyes at me and dropped his gaze quickly.

I tried a different approach. "Have you met our mentor yet? Haymitch?"

He didn't even look at me. Just completely ignored me.

"Hello?" I asked, getting annoyed.

Again, he ignored me and kept his eyes fixed on the floor of the carriage. I sighed loudly.

"We don't need to pretend." He snarked.

"Pretend?" I asked.

"Pretend to be friends. We're not, Madge. We're not friends. And in less than two weeks, we will probably both be dead. So we don't need to make small talk or any talk at all."

I only stared at him in response, not letting his words hurt me. Here I was, face to face with the boy who I had gone out of my way to help, and he was being rude, like always. He would never change. I shrugged my shoulders and said, "Okay, Gale. If that's what you want."

He looked surprised by the way I had handled his words. Something crossed over his expression, something unreadable. Then it faded away and he coughed. "Good." Was all he said.

We didn't say a word the rest of the way to the train.

* * *

I didn't talk to Peeta on the way to the carriage. I was so mad at him. So completely and utterly furious. What the hell was he thinking? Volunteering for that boy? He was an idiot. A complete and utter idiot.

"Katniss, please say something." Peeta said gently when we both stepped on board our ride.

I crossed my arms over my chest and kept my eyes forward, glaring. I heard him let out a loud sigh and he turned away from me, looking out his side of the carriage. I let the silence overtake us for a long time before I said, "What about Prim? Who is going to protect _her_?"

"My father just promised me he would, Katniss. In the Justice building. And you know my brothers will too. Plus, she knows how to fish. You taught her."

I turned to face him, my eyes still narrowed. "You shouldn't have done it."

"Well, I did. And it's too late to change that now. So you can keep being mad or you can just be my best friend. Because that's what we both need right now. Our best friend."

I sighed. He was right. I did need my best friend right now. And if I was going to keep him alive, It would help to not hate his guts so much. So, slowly I let my hand slide closer to his and he caught it, interlacing his fingers through my own. And this is how we would go into the train, hand in hand. And this is how we go into the games, I decided. Hand in hand, together. A team. Because the capitol could take away my life, they could rip away my family and my little sister from me but I swore in that moment, they would not take Peeta away from me. No matter what. He was apart of me. He was mine. He was everything.

Dinner was served almost immediately once we arrived on the train. Rich and heavy foods lined the table. Varieties of fruits spilled from buckets and hot soups steamed the air. Fresh, warm rolls topped with butter sat to my right. A huge, fried chicken sat to my left. Cheese covered noodles sat in a huge bowl across the table. Being from the town, Peeta and I had been able to enjoy some of these delicacies back in district 4 but not this much food. Never this much food.

I didn't know where to start. Just as I dug my mouth into a buttered roll, Finnick Odair came waltzing into the room, beaming at me.

"Well hello there, Katniss Everdeen." He said playfully taking the seat across from me. "And hey, Peeta Mellark." He added quickly.

Just then, a white haired lady walked into the room slowly, using a cane to help her. Mags. She was also a past victor and our mentor for the games.

"Mags, so happy to have you join us at our feast!" Finnick exclaimed, holding out his hands and motioning to the food in front of him.

She mumbled something inaudible and sat down next to Finnick. She gave Peeta and I a warm smile and I couldn't help but smile back.

Peeta broke off a piece of his roll before he tossed it into his mouth. "So, are you going to give us advice?" He asked, directing his question at Finnick.

Finnick thought this over for a long moment before he said, "Sure, why not?" He motioned with his finger for us to lean in closer. I looked over at Peeta hesitantly but he shrugged his shoulders so I leaned in, despite my better judgment. When Peeta and I were a few inches from Finnick's face, he spoke again. "Don't win." He said in a low whisper.

"Don't win?" Peeta repeated his words with puzzlement.

Finnick nodded and said in a low growl, "Winning's not all it's cracked up to be."

"Yeah, well. We won't accept death. So, give us some real advice." I snapped before crossing my arms over my chest. I narrowed my eyes at him.

Finnick cocked his head to the side in confusion. "_We _won't accept death? Hate to break it to you, beautiful, but there can only be one winner."

"Don't call me that." I retorted.

Mags only stared at us, listening to our conversation with wide and curious eyes, like a small child.

Peeta rubbed his temple. "Okay, just... give us something to work with, Finnick."

Finnick clapped his hands together once and then placed them in his lap. "Stay away from the careers." He said, his eyes and expression wearing an intense look.

"Shouldn't we kill them?" Peeta asked.

"Eventually but stay away from them for as long as possible. They will be your hardest kill."

I sighed. I wasn't satisfied with this piece of advice. "That's not even real advice. Everyone knows the careers are the hardest to kill."

Finnick only stared at me with scrunched up eyes. He glanced at Peeta and then back to me. He waved a finger between us. "Are you two a couple?" He asked, ignoring my statement completely.

Peeta went to respond but I beat him to it. "No, Peeta's just an idiot and I'm the idiots friend."

"I thought we were okay now." Peeta said quietly.

I turned to him, my expression sad and torn. "We are but you're still an idiot."

Peeta rolled his eyes and said to Finnick, "She's just mad because I volunteered to protect her, which isn't really a reason to be mad."

"I can protect myself!" I yelled. "And now you're going to get yourself _killed._" I practically cried.

"Yeah, for _you._" He said simply, gently, kindly. "And I won't apologize for wanting to keep you safe. I'd volunteer again in a heartbeat. A thousand times over again."

Finnick sighed dramatically and said, "Yeah, yeah we get it, Peeta. You're noble and awesome and you want to save her life. My only question is, are you even going to fight?"

"For her life, yes. And that means I have to preserve mine as long as possible to do so."

"Okay, then. Well-" Finnick began.

I groaned and interrupted them. "Oh, don't encourage him, Finnick." This was entirely ridiculous. Finnick and Peeta discussing the plan to keep me alive the longest. As if I would let Peeta die for me. As if that would make me happy. As if I could return home and move on and live my life knowing that he died for me. Me!

Prim had begged me to try and come home. She had even asked me to promise her that I would. But I couldn't do it. I couldn't promise her I'd come home because that would be a lie. I wasn't coming home. I would fight like hell for Peeta but when the time came, I would die. What would be the difference if I was the victor? If I watched my best friend die before my eyes and then came back to District 4? I wouldn't really be home.

Because it wouldn't be home without Peeta.

Because I needed Peeta Mellark in my life. I needed him to provide me with balance, to shed light on dark situations, to bring warmth to the cold and laughter to the sadness. I needed him to help me fish and have long walks with on the beach at night. I needed him in every aspect of who I was. But Peeta would be fine without me, with time. He would survive and move on, marry a pretty girl and continue to live in District 4. He would be content without me but I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I wouldn't never be okay without him. I would lose myself in the darkness, swallowed whole by its depth.

* * *

When I met Haymitch, he nearly puked on my shoes. He was _that _drunk. He then fell down, passing out in his own vomit. Gale and I stared at our wonderful mentor wondering what to do. Gale told me to grab an arm to help lift him up but I was too weak and a guard had to come and help instead. I didn't miss Gale's eye roll when I couldn't lift him, however.

Dinner was awkward and quiet. Gale stuffed his face like he would never eat again. My stomach wouldn't settle enough for me to eat much of anything. The only attempts at conversation were made my Effie but she quickly noticed that nobody else was in a chatty mood and shut up as well.

Later, as I laid in my bed in my room of the train, sleep alluded me. And as much of a pain Gale was being, my mind wandered to that day four years ago. With a sigh, I closed my eyes and got lost in the memory.

It was early in the morning when it happened. Right before school, actually. My hair was tied up in a red ribbon and I wore a brand new white dress. My also red shoes sparkled in the morning sunlight. I was walking to school when I heard muffled voices over by the district fence. Curious, I crept along some trees until the people were in my line of sight.

It was a Peace Keeper and a young boy. He was 14 at the time, his dark hair falling in front of his gray eyes. I had recognized him but I didn't know his name.

"What were you doing over the fence, boy? You know that's illegal." The man snapped.

I was smart enough, even at 12, to know that Gale had been hunting in the woods. A few people did it in the district to feed their families. Even my own father bought from these people time to time. Luckily for Gale, he didn't have any of his kills with him or the whole scenario could've been even worse.

Gale narrowed his eyes at the Peace Keeper. "It doesn't matter what I tell you. You're just going to arrest me anyway."

The Peace Keeper struck Gale in his lower back with the bottom of his gun. Hard. Gale groaned and fell to the ground in pain. The man then struck Gale again in the face and Gale's nose started bleeding profusely. As I watched, panic began to set in. How could I save this boy? How could I stop the man from hurting him? As I studied the mans face, I could tell he was the new Peace Keeper. Had just arrived a few days ago. My parents had had him over for dinner the previous night. I remembered disliking the man, the way he talked and carried himself, but he had absolutely adored me.

"Just arrest me already!" Gale screamed, spitting blood.

"Why don't you stop talking back to me, huh?" The man struck Gale again, even more forcefully, in the stomach. The wind was knocked out of him and he laid there, bloody and breathless. "What's your name, boy?"

"Gale." He said through gritted teeth. I hadn't known his name until that moment, but I remember thinking it suited him, somehow. I had seen him around school but he was two years older than me so we didn't have any classes together. And when my father bought game from him, he never stuck around long enough for me to talk to him. Plus, he was from the seam and the seam and town children kept their distance from each other for the most part. Just as the Peace Keeper went to struck Gale again, an idea finally popped into my head.

"Gale!" I yelled, rushing over to his side. He looked up at me, blood and tears streaming down his face. "Did you find my necklace?" I asked him sincerely.

And right on cue, the Peace Keeper asked me, "What necklace?"

I held my hand to my neck, touching it gently. "I had this beautiful necklace my father got me and last night, Gale and I were walking around the district and I lost it. He was only helping me find it. We thought it might have slipped through a hole in the fence when we walked by here last night. That's why he was out of the district, sir." I gave him a genuine smile.

The Peace Keeper shifted his eyes from me to Gale and then back to me. He was trying to figure out if I was telling the truth or not. He looked back down to Gale and barked, "This true, boy?"

Gale met my eyes again for a brief second before he nodded. "Yeah, it's true. I was only helping her find her necklace."

"My father will sure be upset when he sees you've punished my friend Gale for only helping me find an expensive and important necklace that I lost, sir." I said to the man. I know I was pushing my limits but I had to save Gale.

The man opened his mouth to say something to me but then shut it quickly. I was the mayor's daughter, after all. In his mind, I could get him kicked out of the district, get him fired from his job. In actuality, my father didn't hold that much power but this disgusting man didn't need to know that.

He cursed under his breath and said, "Fine. I'll leave you with a warning. Don't let me catch you past this fence ever again or you will be whipped." He said, practically spitting the words.

He walked away then, the dust from the ground rising into the air with every step he pounded out. I crouched down to where Gale was laying and gently touched his chin, lifting up his face so I could examine it. It was covered it so much blood and sweat and dirt and tears that I couldn't even see the wound.

His back and stomach were badly bruised too. I tried to get him to stand up but once I got him on his feet, he bent over and puked up blood. He collapsed to the ground again and I let myself feel fear for a few seconds. Because nobody was around and I needed to save his life. And I was only 12 years old. And I had no idea what I was doing.

Gale began to close his eyes and I yelled at him. "No! Stay awake...please." I pleaded with him, my hand touching the bottom of his chin again gently.

"You're the mayor's daughter, aren't you?" He asked in a low whisper, his voice barely even audible.

I smiled at him. "Yes. I'm Madge."

He coughed and then winced in pain, a hand pressed firmly to his stomach. I knew he was in horrible shape and I had to get him help but I just didn't know how. I thought of the town doctor and figured out it was less than half a mile from where we were. Maybe I could carry him? He was smaller back then. He had muscle but not very much. It was a bad year for a lot of families so he was on the skinnier side, clearly not getting enough to eat. Even still, when I tried to scoop him into my arms, they failed me and I nearly dropped him back on the ground and he cursed in pain.

"Sorry! I'm sorry! I don't know what to do..." I was beginning to really panic. He was in no condition to walk and if I couldn't carry him, what did that leave? I glanced around searching for something, anything to help me. About ten feet away I spotted a wheelbarrow left out by someone. I could put him inside of the barrow and then push him to the doctor. I ran over and grabbed it and sprinted back. Gale glanced at the thing nervously.

"You're not serious." He said angrily.

"Yeah, I am. I'm going to try to lift you enough to put you inside."

Gale scoffed at me and said, "You're completely insane."

"And you're probably bleeding internally so please, let me get you to the doctor before you die." I pleaded with him.

He sighed and slowly nodded his head. Using what little energy he had, Gale climbed into the wheelbarrow with the assistance of my shoulder and arm. When he was safely inside, I glanced down at my white dress to find it completely covered in dirt and blood. I didn't care, of course. But it would be hard to explain to my father.

By the time we reached the doctors, Gale was drifting in and out of consciousness and he was turning a sickly green color. I called for help and the doctor came out and lifted Gale inside with his strong arms. I followed them and he sat Gale down on a table, calling to his wife to get some medicine. I rushed to Gale's side and his eyes found mine.

"You can go now." He said weakly.

I shook my head. "No, I don't want to. I want to stay and make sure you're safe."

"I'm fine. Go." He said quietly but he was getting irritated with me.

The doctor looked at me and said gently, "He's right. You need to go, sweetheart. We've got it from here."

"Will he be okay?" I asked quickly.

He nodded. "I'm sure he will be alright. You need to go though, please."

With one last look to Gale, who had his eyes shut tight and was groaning in pain, I bit my lip and scurried out of there. I wheeled back the wheelbarrow to its rightful owner and ran home to change into new clothes. I stuffed my bloody dress under my bed.

I didn't seem him again for a week. I was worried sick the entire time too. I went to the doctors but they told me he didn't want any visitors. I thought this was entirely unfair, being that I was the one who saved him and all. But I respected his wishes. And when I spotted him walking on the edges of town a week later, I called his name. His head turned slowly in my direction and when I waved at him, he dropped his eyes to the ground and walked away.

I didn't understand. Why wouldn't he talk to me? I saved him! If I hadn't been there... if I hadn't made up that story about the necklace, he would probably be dead. And he couldn't even acknowledge my existence. I decided right then and there that Gale Hawthorne was a jerk. A complete and total world class jerk.

Ever since that day, any interaction he had with me had been filled with bitterness and angry words, silent accusations that I couldn't defend, judgments that I didn't know how to deflect.

As I pulled myself out of the memory, I found myself back in the dark room of my train cart. Alone and scared and the impacts of the day finally hitting me, I finally allowed myself to cry. I covered my face as the sobs wracked my body, one after another after another after another. I was crying so loud, I was afraid someone would think I was possibly being murdered and would come to see what was wrong. My sobs slowly turned into whimpers and finally, I had cried myself out. With my throat raw and my cheeks sticky, I promised myself that I wouldn't break down again. Not even while alone. I absolutely and positively had to be brave. I gripped the Mockingjay pin that was still safely secured onto my dress. "_It will make you brave"_, my mother had said. Good. I was going to need every ounce of courage I could possibly muster.

* * *

**A/N: This was WAY longer than the first chapter and they will probably always be this long because I need to fit in A LOT Of info. in every chapter! If you haven't noticed yet, when we switch POV's, the story takes place where the last one left off. For example, we didn't read about Katniss's hour in the justice building but instead, her time on the carriage because that's where we left off with Madge and Gale. I hope that makes sense. Don't worry though, nothing important will be left out and although some aspects of the ACTUAL hunger games we all know and love will be kept in, I'm going to change A LOT Of things up so just sit back and enjoy the ride! And thanks for all your amazing reviews and PLEASE PLEASE review again and let me know what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3

It wasn't until after the hair was plucked from my legs and my skin was scrubbed completely clean that I realized I was even in the remake center. I had been in such a foggy state the entire morning. The events from yesterday: the reaping, the upcoming games, Peeta volunteering... none of it even seemed real. It was like one big, horrible nightmare.

My prep team consisted of three, interesting souls. A girl named Exie who had long, hot pink hair that reached her waist and thick eyelashes that glittered under the light. She was perky and very, very chatty. She was also too naive to notice that I wasn't listening to a word she was saying. Then there was Chark, who had a hairless, tattooed head. The tattoo appeared to be some kind of bullseye. Chark was quiet but worked faster than the others, not caring if he hurt me in the process. And then there was Kinslee. She only spoke to me when necessary and didn't make a fuss like Exie. She was reserved and gentle, her words always flowing from her lips like sweet honey. She had jet black hair that she wore up in a tight ponytail.

When they finally left the room, leaving me naked and raw, my stylist entered with slow and steady steps. I studied him as he approached me. He was tall and muscular, blond hair the color of Peeta's. He had chocolate colored eyes and fair skin. He wore a simple black suit with a white tie. He extended his hand to me when he reached me.

"Katniss Everdeen, I am your stylist. Marker."

I stared at his hand hesitantly before I shook it. I met his eyes and he gave me a soft, reassuring smile. He dropped my hand and then studied me for a moment. He touched a strand of my dark hair and rubbed his fingers over it. "You have beautiful hair, Katniss."

"Oh. Thanks." I mumbled. Just like with Peeta, I didn't know how to take this mans compliment. I wasn't good with compliments in general.

"My prep team has done a wonderful job! Especially the work of my lovely wife, Kinslee."

This caught my attention. "Kinslee is your wife?" I asked curiously.

He smiled and nodded. "Oh, yes. For ten years now. She's my better half."

I thought about this for a moment. Somehow, the reserved and kind girl I had met moments ago made complete sense with this man in front of me. Marker was talkative, yes, but not in the irritating way that Exie was. Exie was superficial but Marker seemed grounded. He wore a simple suit in the capitol for crying out loud.

"So, I saw the reapings. Peeta volunteered for you. Why?" He asked me gently.

I shrugged. "Because he wants to protect me."

Marker nodded his head slowly. "Are you guys close?"

"Of course. He's my best friend."

"I take it you two are going into this as team then?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. Nobody said things like that. Not when it came to the games. You weren't supposed to go into them as a team. Only one tribute could win. People formed alliances but they always ended eventually. Loyalty could only extend so far in the arena. I guess Marker could see that Peeta and I were different, however. We_ were_ going into this a team. There was no other way to face it.

I found myself smiling gently. "Clearly."

Marker returned my smile and clapped his hands together lightly. "As you know, your outfit for the opening ceremonies should represent your district in some way."

"You're not going to make me a fish, are you?" I asked nervously.

Marker let out a laugh and shook his head no. "Katniss, what is the one thing fish need to survive?"

"Water." I answered.

He nodded. "Exactly. And you, Katniss Everdeen, are going to make one hell of a splash at those ceremonies tonight."

That was all he would tell me about my outfit. Everyone met for lunch then. Peeta and I sat next to each other as I excitedly awaited for our meal to be set out. Truth be told, the only superficial joy I would be receiving in those next few weeks was all that fancy food. When a chicken soup was set in front of me, I slurped it down before it had even cooled. Peeta eyed me curiously.

"Hungry?" He asked with an edge of playfulness to his voice.

"Shut up." I snapped, glaring at him.

He smirked and sipped his soup quietly.

After we all finished eating, he asked me about my morning with the prep team. I told him that although it was horrible, I liked my stylist and his wife wasn't so bad either. Peeta mentioned that his stylish was named Castle and Finnick jumped into our conversation.

"Oh, Castle? What a sweet girl." He said with a wink.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, I forgot. You've had sex with everyone here."

"Not everyone, Katniss. What do you take me for? Some kind of animal?" He asked in fake astonishment.

I opened my mouth to retort but then I felt Peeta's hand on my shoulder. I turned to him and he shook his head slightly, signaling that I should stop. I sighed and bit my tongue. Finnick smirked at me and I glared. Mags began to fiddle with something in her hands. I asked her what it was and she lifted it up with a proud, toothless smile.

I examined it and it appeared to be a fish hook. What surprised me, however, was what she had made it out of. An old earring of some kind. She had bent the wire. I couldn't help but smile at the old lady. I liked her. And I liked Kinslee and Marker. I guess not everyone in the Capitol was completely horrible.

"So, how should we act tonight at the opening ceremonies?" Peeta asked Finnick then.

Finnick took a bite of his food before answering. "Well, you two are good looking -especially you Katniss- so if you smile and wave a lot, they will all love you."

I knew Finnick's lame attempts at flirting were only meant to irritate me but I couldn't help but want to claw his face off every time he said something. "I don't really care if they love me." I said through narrowed eyes.

Finnick sighed. "If you want sponsors, then you'll care. Appear likable, it's your best shot. And play up the best friend thing. It will warm their precious little hearts."

Peeta nodded. "We can do that."

I turned to him. "_You_ can do that. I have no idea how to get people to like me!"

He smiled and said in a low, gentle voice, "Just be yourself. You don't need to try to make people like you, Katniss. They just will. I did."

Against my will, a blush appeared on my cheeks. I caught Finnick staring at us with a curious expression on his face. My blush disappeared. He swallowed and said quickly, "Chocolate covered strawberries?" He held up the plate in front of me. I grabbed one and took a bite. It was delicious and I ended up grabbing a few more.

"So that will be our approach going into the games? Likeable?" Peeta asked.

"It won't be hard for you I can see." Finnick pointed out, and then shifted his attention to me. "And although Peeta's pep talk a moment ago was endearing, don't believe him. You're actually very hard to like. But I can already tell Peeta will gush about you every chance he gets so you'll have plenty of sponsors."

"Hey that's not true, Katniss is-" Peeta began.

"Don't waste your breath, Peeta. He's not even worth it." I said, interrupting him.

"Oh," Finnick said with a laugh, "I am most definitely worth it." He winked at me again and Mags gurgled laughter filled the room.

* * *

I loved my stylist, Cinna. I loved the way he spoke to me, without the air of superiority the other Capitol citizens had. He treated me like a friend, not another random girl going to her death. He had even briefly explained his plan to make me the girl on fire. I didn't exactly know what it meant. And honestly, it sounded terrifying but for some reason, I found it easy to trust Cinna.

Later, while we all sat down for lunch, Haymitch was gulping down his fourth drink of the meal. He was certainly drunk or close to it. Gale watched him through a tight face. Eventually, Haymitch leaned his head down on the lunch table and just fell asleep. Gale took a pitcher of water and dumped it on top of him.

Haymitch jolted awake and jumped to his feet, with his knife out and ready to attack. Gale twisted Haymitch's arm and stole the knife from him and then kneed him in the gut. Haymitch fell back into his chair and held his stomach with both hands. Once he was finally able to breathe again, he actually smiled.

"You're a fighter, aren't you?" He asked in a deep, raspy voice.

Gale glared at him. "Well, I'm not just going to die."

Haymitch turned his attention to me. "Are you a fighter too? You don't look like much."

I sighed. "If you're asking if I can attack you like Gale just did, then no. I'm not a fighter."

Gale rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. Stealing a knife from a drunken, out of shape man is in no way useful in an arena full of healthy teenagers."

"Don't downplay yourself." I turned to Haymitch. "Gale is a genius with snares." I said quickly.

Gale whipped his head in my direction. "What the hell are you doing?"

I didn't stop though. "He can probably entrap any person in that arena. He's also strong and quick on his feet."

"Well, don't let Madge fool you, Haymitch. She may not be physically strong but she's smart and resourceful."

I laughed. "What good is being resourceful if I don't have the strength to back it up?" I yelled at him.

Gale slammed his hand down on the table hard. "Stop pretending that you're so helpless and weak!"

"I _am_ helpless and weak and we both know I don't have a fighting chance in that arena! You'll probably kill me before I even have time to blink!" I yelled.

"Oh, like I could kill you!" He hurled back at me.

This made me shut up. I stared at him, confused. What did he mean? Of course he could kill me! He could _easily_ kill me. Did he mean he couldn't kill me without feeling guilty? But... why? He clearly hated me. And he obviously would never say thank you for the day I saved his life. So if he couldn't stand me...why wouldn't he be able to kill me?

Haymitch took another swing of his drink and pointed his finger at Gale. "The stuff she said with the snares. That true?"

Gale shifted his eyes to the floor but nodded his head.

Haymitch said gruffly, "Good. That will be more useful than you think. For hunting animals and for killing other tributes. And you, princess," he turned to me, "Don't underestimate the power of your mind. Wit goes a lot further than strength in the arena sometimes."

"Okay." Was all I said.

Gale sighed and said, "If you're really going to help us you have to stop drinking."

"I'll stop drinking _enough_ to help you, hows that? But you two can't mess with me. Whatever the hell I say goes, got it?"

We nodded.

"Good. Now go get ready for the ceremonies. The Capitol awaits the charming personalities of Madge Undersee and Gale Hawthorne." He said dryly.

As my prep team did my hair and makeup for the next few hours, they chatted with me endlessly about their fancy Capitol lifestyles. I found myself smiling and laughing along with them. I couldn't help but like them. It wasn't exactly their fault they were citizens in the Capitol. And I wasn't much different, being the mayor's daughter now was I?

When they were done, Cinna came in carrying my outfit. I stepped into the black suit and then he explained how he would light the cape of my suit on fire.

"It's not real, of course."

I nodded nervously. I did trust him but was he really about to set me on fire? When we met up with Gale and his stylist, he was in a matching black outfit and I tried not to think about the fact that he looked handsome in black. We lined up in our chariot to get ready and I turned to Gale, suddenly scared to death.

"Did you know they want to set us on fire?" I whispered.

Gale nodded. "They are idiots if they think I'm actually going to let them do that."

"Cinna said it's fake but I still don't think we should go through with it." I said back.

"I don't believe a word those Capitol rats say." He said through gritted teeth.

I opened my mouth to reply that they weren't all that bad. That Cinna was actually a decent human and my prep team were all so sweet and out of it that I couldn't help but love them as well, but then Cinna himself was behind us so I shut up.

"Let's do this, District 12." He said with a soft smile.

He ignited my cape and I closed my eyes, ready for the burns. They didn't come, however. And once Gale saw that my fire was actually fake, he let Cinna light his cape as well without any complaints.

As the first chariot pulled out, Gale turned to face me, his gray eyes locking with my blue ones.

"Ready to do this?" He asked unenthusiastically.

I shrugged. "As ready as I'll ever be."

* * *

I wasn't one to be too fond of clothes but for some reason I couldn't place, I couldn't seem to get over my dress for the opening ceremony. It was so intriguing, so breathtaking. Like nothing I had ever seen before. A light blue, floor length gown, the color of the ocean, the left sleeve went all the way up to my shoulder in a swirled formation representing the top of a tidal wave. The rest of the dress gathered layers upon layers of the blue fabric and then went out in a wave-like manner. I literally _was_ a wave. Marker had me wear my dark hair down my back in loose curls and put some blue shimmer make-up on my face. He also weaved sea-shells throughout my hair.

Peeta was wearing a plain blue suit that complimented my dress completely. His long blond locks had been slicked back using some kind of gel. He smiled when he saw me and we stepped onto our carriage.

"You look stunning." He whispered into my ear.

I rolled my eyes and replied with, "I don't care." But I did care. I had never felt so beautiful before and... it was nice. It was nice for one night, for a few hours, for a little while, to feel pretty. Peeta smirked at the way I brushed off his compliment. I nudged him with my shoulder and added, "But you don't look too bad yourself there, Peeta."

He held out his hand to me and I took without hesitation. Because this is what I hadsaid all along. We would go into this as a team. Nobody could break us apart. No Capitol. No Games. No blood-thirsty tribute. Peeta and I were in this together. Because the only alternative was going through it alone. And I had spent so much of my life doing everything with Peeta that I wasn't even sure I knew how to do things alone anymore. From the moment I saw that young boy in the ocean and called out to him, I had brought myself into his world, folded myself into him. And I couldn't imagine my life any other way.

My fingers intertwined with his and our carriage started moving. And I gripped his hand so tight, I was sure I was leaving bruises. Just as our carriage reached the front line of Capitol people, something extraordinary happened. Water shot from one end of the carriage to the other, creating an arch of water over our heads, making us appear as if were _literally_ inside a wave. Peeta and I looked above us, just as astonished as the people in the crowds, who were going nuts for the tributes of District Four. I couldn't help but let out a laugh at the genius move that Marker and Castle had come up with. We were unforgettable, we were stunning, we were making one hell of a splash, like Marker had promised me. And the entire scenario was so ridiculous that I found myself laughing and smiling and waving at all the Capitol citizens with my free hand. Somehow, the arch of water wasn't even getting us wet. We were staying completely dry while still managing to appear as if we were inside the tunnel of water itself. It was amazing.

As we finished off our ride, the water disappeared to one side completely and Peeta and I turned to each other, laughing and astonished.

"What just happened?" Peeta asked, amazed.

I smiled. "We just stole the opening ceremonies! Nobody will ever forget us now!" And just as the words left my lips, the crowd was screaming again and we whipped around to see what the commotion was about. My jaw dropped open at the sight before me.

District 12's tributes were on fire. _Literally _on fire. Clearly, it was fake but none the less, they looked absolutely heart stopping. The girl tribute wore her light hair back in some kind of braid and was smiling confidently as she waved at the crowds. The boy tribute, a good looking, tan and toned guy, wasn't exactly waving to the people, but he did seem effected by the reaction and was trying his hardest to fight off a small smirk. Peeta and I may had been astonishing, but these tributes were _radiant_.

"Looks like someone just yanked the ceremonies right out from under us." Peeta mumbled into my ear.

I crossed my arms over my chest and shrugged, playing them off. "Fire doesn't stand a chance when it comes in contact with water, Peeta."

He smiled at me and touched my cheek gently with his free hand. "I'd do it again, you know."

"What?" I asked.

He removed his hand and said, "Volunteer. I'd do it again. I can't imagine having to watch you up on the screens back at home. Instead, I'm right here next to you, holding your hand."

And in that moment, I was happy Peeta was with me too. Because facing all of this would be impossible without him. So I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him into a warm embrace. His hands found the small of my back and he pulled my head into his chest. I had told Peeta I could protect myself and maybe that was true. But in that moment, locked in the warmth of Peeta's arms, I was almost glad he had volunteered. It was a stupid thing to do, yes. But for purely selfish reasons, I needed him with me. I couldn't face this nightmare alone

* * *

"You two were flawless!" Cinna called as I ran off the carriage and surprised myself by jumping into his arms. He hugged me tight and then pulled me away. He cupped my face in his hands and gave me a huge smile. "Madge, you were perfect."

I laughed and placed my hands over his own. "Only because of your outfit! Nobody could take their eyes off of us!"

"What'd you think, Gale?" Portia, his stylist, asked him.

"I'm still trying to figure out how the hell we didn't burn to death." He mumbled.

I rolled my eyes because although Gale hated every second spent in the Capitol, he had to find at least a little joy in the fact that we were all anyone could talk about. We were unforgettable in every which way possible.

"The tributes from four, though. They were amazing as well. Did you see how they were inside of a wave! And the girls dress! Beautiful." Effie gushed and then added quickly, "but of course you and Gale were far more stunning. Honestly, you will both have sponsors lining out the door when we get you two into the arena!"

The tributes from four _were_ pretty spectator but they had nothing on us. Nothing. As we went back to our rooms to sleep, I pulled my braid out and my hair fell down my shoulders in waves. I opened the dresser and traded in my black outfit for some comfy shorts and a soft sweater. I washed my face of all the make-up and crawled into bed, ready for some sleep.

But sleep didn't come, no matter how hard I tried. Eventually, I pulled myself out of the bed and made my way into the hallway. Maybe I could find a server to bring me some tea. As I searched the halls for someone, I spotted a figure slumped against the wall further down the hallway. As I approached, I realized it was Gale. He had his head in his hands and his eyes were shut tight. I hid behind an abandoned laundry cart stacked at least 7 feet tall with clothes. As I peeked around the corner of the cart, I studied him. Without his face twisted in disgust or anger or bitterness, he appeared rather vulnerable. And much younger. If I squinted my eyes enough, I could almost see the brave fourteen year old boy who talked back to the peace keeper and kept his secret hidden. I could almost see that innocent look in his eyes.

I remembered that Gale had three siblings. I wondered if he was thinking about them. How they would get food without the help of his hunting. I wondered if he had a girlfriend that he was missing, or maybe even just a friend who he'd wish could go through this with him. The sad fact was that I had tried to be his friend. I tried four years ago and he ignored me and I tried again on the carriage ride to the train. He had blatantly told me we didn't need to pretend. So if Gale was lonely, he went there all on his own. I had tried.

But what if I hadn't tried hard enough? What if some people just took more time? He looked so lost. And I felt so lost inside. We could be there for each other. We could find a way to face the pain together. We could tame the beast, so to speak. But I didn't know how to say these things. Gale had made it so clear that he wanted nothing to do with me so what was I supposed to do? How could I get him to see that finding a friend in me wasn't the worst thing in the world?

With a sigh, I turned around and walked back to my room. It seemed helpless, useless, pointless. Gale was Gale and I was Madge and for whatever reason, he hated me. That would never change. We would never be friends. And it wouldn't matter. I'd be dead soon anyway. I crawled back into my bed and forced my eyes to shut and mind to close off. I fell asleep a few minutes later, exhausted and hopeless and screaming inside.

* * *

**A/N: It's my 21st Birthday! Yay! So, I forgot that District 4 IS a career district so I changed some wording in the first chapter. Oops. And I am so sorry I made Madge the girl on fire. So typical but really, what else can you do with coal? At least I came up with an original idea for Katniss and Peeta, eh? I love the idea of them representing the ocean and water and how it contrast with fire. So cool! If you want to see what Katniss's dress looks like, you can find the picture on my tumblr page. Follow me, my username is gadgeistruelove . Anyways, IT'S MY BIRTHDAY SO LEAVE ME A REVIEW AS A PRESENT. PLEASE. It would make my birthday so much more special! Thanks, guys!**


	4. Chapter 4

The following morning, I awoke at the crack of dawn and jumped into the fancy capitol showers. After I was fresh and clean, I went down to breakfast. It was our first day in the training center and I was more nervous than anything else. I didn't have any skills. None. Zero. And I could not possibly learn everything in three days, so what did that leave me with? I guess I could just go in there and learn about the safe plants in the arena. That didn't take much physical skill. I arrived at the table and Effie greeted me with a huge smile. Gale glanced up from his plate but didn't say a word and then he shifted his gaze back down.

I sat down and we all waited for Haymitch to show up. Fifteen minutes later, he came strolling in but stopped in his tracks when he saw us all staring at him.

"Were you all waiting for me?"

We nodded and he rolled his eyes. "How kind." He replied dryly. He sat at the end of the table and piled his plate with food. "Do you await my great wisdom, princess and prince?" He said to Gale and I.

Gale put his hand on the nape of his nick. "Trust me. Your wisdom is far from great. Just tell us how the hell to handle ourselves in there." He said quickly and with an edge of anger.

Haymitch held his hands up in defense. "Alright, alright. Calm down, little hunter. Learn something new in there. Don't spend time at stations you know you're good at. Got it?"

I nodded but Gale looked like he wanted to protest. In the end, he shut his mouth as well and nodded slowly, eyes to the floor. Once we finished eating, we met all the other tributes outside of the training center doors. I hadn't really had the chance to get a good look at them. Most of them were bigger than me, with the exception of a few younger tributes. Nobody was talking, besides the careers from Districts 1 and 2. And the pair from 4... they were pulled away from the rest of the crowd, talking in hushed voices to each other.

Just then, the doors opened and we were brought inside. After we were told some basic rules like no fighting with the other tributes, we were released to the stations. I glanced around the different stations, and remembered Haymitch's words. _Learn something new. _Well, that wouldn't be too hard for me considering I knew nothing. I searched for Gale in the crowd and saw that he was at the hand-to-hand combat station. It made sense he would go there first, really. He could win in a fight if he had a weapon, yes but what if he was unarmed? I looked around and spotted the camouflage station a few feet from me. I could try that. Maybe I was good at it?

And as it turned out, I wasn't horrible. I wasn't the best, either. I was careful and patient with my strokes and faired well when I copied the instructor but I knew the chances of me even using this skill in the arena were less than likely. With a sigh, I moved on to the archery station. I had never shot a bow before and it was harder than it appeared. After many failed attempts to even get the arrow off the bow, I gave up. It was no use! I couldn't shoot. I'd never be good enough in a few days to shoot someone in the arena, anyways.

I tried some hand-to-hand combat myself after that. I was too flinch-y, too slow to react, too weak to keep the other person in any kind of a hold. The best I could manage to do was hop around on my feet and duck my head when I got swung at. It was horrendous and embarrassing.

I made my way to the edible plants station, just so I could stop feeling so helpless and horrible. I knew I had a good memory and would remember the plants she told me to stay away from. After an hour at this station, I was feeling a lot more accomplished. I knew most of the edible plants by heart and I had a good picture of what the poisonous ones looked like.

We broke for lunch then. Everyone sat alone except for the Careers and again, the tributes from 4 sat together. The boy from 4 had volunteered to take another boys place and not because of the boy but for her... the girl tribute. And from the way he looked at her, I thought I knew why. Just as I was considering this, Gale appeared besides me. I was both surprised and startled by his presence. He hated me. What was he doing?

He sat down next to me and when he noticed me staring at him, he said, "I just don't want to sit alone like the rest of these pathetic people, alright?"

I nodded my head. "Alright." I took a bite of the sandwich I had been given. After a moment, I thought about the night prior and how I had seen Gale out in the hallway looking distraught. And how I knew deep down, we both needed a friend. And even if I had tried many times, maybe I just needed to keep trying. So, I tried again. "How is training going?" I asked as nicely as possible.

He swallowed a bite of his food and then turned to me, meeting my eyes. My gaze must've made him uncomfortable, however, because he looked away a moment later. Looking out straight in front of him, he answered, "Apparently, I'm a natural at hand-to-hand combat." Then he took another huge bite of his sandwich.

"I could've told you that much." I said with a small smirk.

He shrugged and surprisingly, kept the conversation going. "So, how is Princess Madge handling this strenuous training session?" His tone was light and playful so I didn't take offense to his choice of words.

"I apparently am horrible at everything I touch. Except camouflage and edible plants. Which isn't saying much."

"Keep trying different things. Maybe you'll find you're good at something you didn't even know you were good at." Gale said to me nonchalantly. And then he blinked, as if remembering that he just gave advice to the girl he hated. He coughed and then he added a snide remark. "But try to avoid the messy stations, princess. You don't want dirt on your pretty shiny shoes." He stood up and walked away then but it was too late. Even his rude comment wouldn't distract me from the truth of the matter. Gale Hawthorne just gave me advice. Decent advice. And he had said it in such an easy manner, as if he was talking to an old friend.

Maybe all it did take with Gale was a little time, after all.

* * *

"Where should we go now?" Peeta asked me after we returned from our lunch break. We had spent our morning in weight lifting (Peeta purposely lifted far less than he was capable of), hand-to-hand combat, and the sling-shot station. I was practically dying to go to the trident station but Finnick told me to save my skills for the private session with the game makers. I didn't want the other tributes to know how talented I was with the trident. It would be giving away my greatest skill.

The same went for Peeta and the knot-tying station. He could literally make a net out of anything and this was one of the skills Finnick himself had used in the arena. I had figured if Peeta could trap the other tributes, I could send a spear or trident (if I could get my hands on one) through their heart and Peeta would be winning the games before he could as much as blink. Peeta planned to show his true strength and his net making abilities in his private session and I would show off my skill with the trident.

We decided to head to the knife-throwing station because I knew it wouldn't be much different than the tridents, but yet I wouldn't be good enough to attract the attention of the other tributes. I was much less sturdy with a knife. After a few throws, I managed to hit a bullseye, however. Peeta stared at me through narrowed eyes.

"What?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Nothing. You're just good at everything, is all. Must be nice." He mumbled.

I rolled my eyes. "That is not true!"

Peeta laughed. "Katniss, you can hit _anything_ with a trident, even from 50 feet away. You're incredibly smart, you have amazing aim, and apparently you're even good at throwing knifes."

He was being ridiculous. I wasn't good at everything. I would _kill _to have Peeta's strength, his quick and patient fingers that could weave a net in a matter of minutes. And more than anything, I wanted Peeta's warmth, his ability to see the good in any situation, his kindness and steadiness. No amount of my skill could compare to who Peeta was as a person.

He picked up a knife then and tried to throw it towards the target. When it came to the trident, he wasn't horrible. I had taught him a lot. So his knife-throwing skills weren't too bad either. His throw was a little crooked and he missed the bullseye by a foot.

"You need to follow through with your movement, Peeta." I said. I came up behind him and placed my arm on top of his, showing him how the motion should go. We practiced it like this a few times before he turned his face around and smiled at me.

Inches apart from each other, his breathe hot on my cheek, he teased, "Could you show me again?"

I let go and moved away from him quickly before glaring up at my best friend. He smirked and I bit my lip to hide the smile that was creeping onto my own lips. "Shut up and throw the knife again." I snapped.

He laughed but did as he was told. It was a lot better throw and he was only a few inches from the bullseye this time. After some more practice, he was hitting the bullseye as well.

"See, Peeta? All it takes is some practice."

"I had to practice for over a half hour, Katniss. You hit the bullseye within five minutes. Just admit that you're good at everything and I'll stop talking about it." He said with a smile.

"I won't admit that because it's not true." I said before crossing my arms over my chest defensively. "Can we move on now?"

We ended up at the camouflage station. It didn't me long to realize that while I was dreadful at camouflage, Peeta was brilliant. He was able to paint himself into the trees, the grass, everything. When we grew tired and bored of camouflaging, Peeta swirled the paints around and painted the ocean on the counter top. The deep, rich blue water and the white sandy shore. It made miss home so terribly, that I wanted to cry.

"Are you afraid?" I asked him suddenly, my voice low.

He mixed a lighter blue paint into his ocean. "Of the games?" I nodded. He shrugged and said, "I'm more afraid of not being able to protect you."

I sighed and locked my eyes onto his. "Why is it so important to you that I come home and you don't?"

He gave me a sad, half smile. "Because you have so much to live for, Katniss."

"And you don't?" It came out as a strangled cry.

He shook his head. "Not in the way you do."

I didn't like this conversation and I wished I hadn't brought it up. And I wished Peeta hadn't volunteered. And I wished I hadn't been reaped in the first place. And more than anything, I wished we were back home, walking along the shore side by side.

And because the threat of my own tears was so strong now, I changed the subject as quickly as possible. "Look, Peeta. Something you're good at that I'm not." I motioned to his painting and he laughed. It was no wonder Peeta always painted the signs back at home for his parent's shop.

"What a rarity!" He exclaimed and wiped a stroke of blue paint on my cheek. "We should get back to training, though."

I nodded and tried to wipe away the paint but only ended up rubbing it in and making it look even worse.

After we finished our training session for the day, we were released to our rooms for bed. I found myself in Peeta's room. If I was going to die for him, I at least wanted to spend my last few days with the boy. We sat up in his bed, facing each other. His legs were stretched out across the mattress and mine were pulled up tight to my chest.

"What do you think it's going to be like, the arena?" Peeta asked me, his eyes focused off in the distance.

"I don't know. I don't know how we will even manage it, honestly." I closed my eyes and leaned my head against his headboard.

"I never thought I'd be here. You know the games are real and there's always that chance but still... deep down you don't think it will ever happen to you."

I opened my eyes and laughed at him. "It didn't happen to you. You had a choice."

He answered back solemnly, "No, I didn't."

I stared at him then and for a moment, I tried to put myself in his shoes. Had the boy tributes been picked first and Peeta had been reaped, would I volunteer? Of course. A life without Peeta... that was unthinkable, unbearable. Peeta was right. He didn't have a choice. Not really. He couldn't have lived with himself if he had let me go in alone. It made sense to me then because had the situation been reversed, I wouldn't have even hesitated.

He held my gaze for a long moment before he looked down to the ground. "We should get some sleep. Another full day of training tomorrow."

I nodded my head but I didn't really want to sleep. I wanted to stay up with him, talk with him, enjoy these last few moments. Everything would be gone soon enough, didn't I deserve a few seconds of happiness? As I began to crawl off his bed, his hand caught my wrist. I turned around and I found his eyes to be filled with fear and desperation.

"That doesn't mean you have to leave. Don't go. Please. I just... want to spend as much time with you as I possibly can."

I smiled and together, we crawled under his covers. I had never slept next to Peeta before so I didn't know what to expect. When he pulled me into his body and slipped his arm under my head, I found the warmth radiating off of him to be so welcoming that I instinctively moved even closer, laying my head on his chest. Even though we had been in the capitol for a few days, Peeta still smelled like home; a perfect mixture of saltwater and firewood. I wondered why I had never gotten this physically close to Peeta before. It was just so...comforting. His fingers lazily played with my hair and my own hands found rest on his stomach. And as I drifted off to sleep, I dreamed of nothing but the beautiful ocean waters and this even more beautiful boy by my side.

* * *

Gale had told me that maybe I'd find something I didn't even know I was good at. And he couldn't have been more right. After our lunch break, I had made my way over to the sling-shot station not expecting much. I had failed at archery so I figured my aim would be just as horrible with a sling-shot. The young, adorable girl from District 11 was able to fly items across the room with the thing like it was nothing. After the trainer instructed me on how to use it, I practiced pulling it back a few times, just to get used to the feel of it. Then, she gave a me a stone and pointed out a target for me to try to hit. I lined up my line of sight with the target and slowly pulled back the sling-shot. When I was perfectly aligned, I released it. My stone went flying straight towards the target, hitting a bullseye on my first official shot.

The trainer stared at me. "Have you used one of these before?"

I shook my head. "Never."

She smiled. "You're a natural."

I laughed. "That's not possible. That must've been a lucky shot. I tried archery and could barely even get the arrow off the bow!"

"A bow and arrow is a lot harder to master than the sling-shot. Plus, it doesn't take much physical strength to use this but yet it's highly effective. My bet is in you have very good aim and you didn't even know it because you were trying to shoot a bow with zero experience with one. A sling-shot seems more like the weapon for you."

"I still think it was a lucky shot." I mumbled but picked up another stone. Once I lined it up with the target, I sent it flying across the room once again and was spot on. I tried again and again and although I didn't always hit the bullseye, I was usually pretty close. The more I practiced, the more I got used to the small device. I liked the way it felt in my hands, the way the rubber snapped back once I released the stone. It took patience and practice and sturdy fingers, all of which I had mastered in my many years of piano.

I had left training that day with my spirits lifted. Maybe I did have a fighting chance in these games after all. And for a reason I couldn't quite place, the first person I wanted to tell about my new found skill was Gale. He had given me the advice after all. I spotted him walking towards his room later that night and before I could stop myself, I called to him. He turned around and stared at me, clearly confused. I ran up to his side.

"You were right." And he cocked his head slightly to the left, because he still had no idea what I was talking about. I quickly added, "About finding a skill I didn't know I had. Apparently, I'm handy with a sling-shot."

He nodded his head slowly but didn't say anything. I suddenly felt so stupid for running over there and telling him. He obviously didn't care. He would never care. He was nothing but an ignorant, selfish boy and I was just the silly Mayor's daughter with fancy clothes.

"So, I just...wanted to tell you that." I said, refusing to drop my gaze. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of looking like an idiot in front of him. Not today. Not again. Not after the first time four years ago.

Apparently, my stare made him uncomfortable or vulnerable or something, because his next words confused _me_. "Madge, listen..." He began and then opened his mouth to say more but nothing came out. I stared at him, waiting patiently but he didn't continue.

_Say it, I dare you. Say those two words that you should've said four years ago. Say thank you. That's all I ever wanted. That, and a friend. Which I tried to be. You should have let me, Gale. You should have let me be the friend that we both needed. That we still need. That we need now more than ever before. Two words, Gale. ._

"What, Gale?" I asked, hopefully pushing him in the right direction.

He closed his eyes then. Like this was so unbearable for him. Like even looking at me right now was so impossible. Was I that repulsive? Was I that dreadful that he couldn't even hold my gaze for more than a few moments? He opened his eyes again but his gaze had shifted towards the floor. He looked up for a split second, but only to say two words. Two little words.

"Good night." He whispered and turned around. He walked down the hall and then disappeared as he turned the corner.

I stood there for a long time after he left, wondering what to do with the boy from the woods. Wondering how we'd gotten in such a big mess. Wondering why it was so important for me to hear a thank you and why it was so hard for him to give. Wondering, most of all, how I was expected to kill him. How I was expected to slit his throat like it was nothing, like he didn't even matter.

Did he matter?

I sighed. Of course he did. He mattered that day at the edge of the district and he mattered now. And that would always be the problem. Gale Hawthorne just mattered, even when it made no sense for him to. We weren't friends. We weren't anything. So why was this all so hard? Why did he even have to matter?

I wondered briefly if I had the chance to go back, would I change my mind? Would I not help the boy who would never thank me? Who would treat me like trash? Like nothing? _Of course I would still help him_, I realized. Because regardless of who Gale was, I was Magde Undersee and I treated people with respect, with dignity... even when they clearly didn't deserve it. And I would continue to treat him with kindness. And I would spend my last few days of life treating people the way I wished to be treated, the way he should have treated me. And I knew I would spend the rest of my life wondering why I never got the treatment I deserved.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry, this isn't the best chapter but things will pick up next chapter when we have the private game maker sessions! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS. Oh, a lot of you have been saying you don't like that Gale and Madge are just following Peeta and Katniss's storyline but I can assure you, that is not the case. Many elements are the same but many are not and a lot will be changed. Anything I keep the same is because I think it needs to be kept the same. PLEASE REVIEW this chapter! Let me know what you think of Madge's secret talent, Katniss and Peeta "sleeping" together, and so on. Thank you!**


	5. Chapter 5

By the time the second day of training was done, I was all but going insane wanting to get my hands on the tridents. I had been thinking about them, dreaming about them, dying to feel them in my hands again. I hadn't touched one since the day of the reaping. Peeta and I had continued to go to other stations and hide our talents from the other tributes but tomorrow was the big day. We would finally get to reveal our skills to the game makers.

At dinner that night, we all sat around the large dinner table, including our stylists, Marker and Castle. We ate a feast of pulled pork drenched in a delicious brown sauce, mashed potatoes topped with garlic and butter, steamed vegetables. There was always so much food and so little room in my stomach to put it. Just as I was digging into my pork, Finnick spoke up from his place across from me.

"You ready for your private show tomorrow, Katniss? Ready to reveal your ever so alluring Katniss charm?" He asked seductively.

I gave him a sarcastic smile. "Ah, of course. I'm going to go in and seduce them into giving me a good score."

Finnick threw his head back in a laugh and Mags laughed as well, even though I was sure she had no idea what was going on. "You could practice your seducing skills on me if you'd like."

"Peeta, is there a rule about killing your mentor? Because I could really use some early practice for the games."

Peeta sighed next to me but didn't say anything. He was used to me and Finnick's constant bickering. Finnick rolled his eyes at me and then leaned in across the table. His voice was a low growl when he said, "You honestly think you could take the 65th Hunger Games victor?"

I shrugged. "We have the same skills. Tridents, nets... and I have the advantage of my youth."

"I'm only 24, beautiful."

"And I told you not to call me that." I snapped.

"Stop!" Peeta finally yelled. "Both of you, just stop! This fighting is pointless and not going to get us anywhere." He clenched his fist against the table. "We need to be strong and ready and alert, Katniss!"

I sighed and glanced at Finnick. He was still smirking like an idiot but he put his hands in the air as an act of surrender. He clanked his fork against his plate a few times before he spoke up again. "Alright, tomorrow in your private session, you guys give them everything you've got. Push yourself beyond your own limits, go above and beyond. Run faster, throw harder, shoot straighter, do whatever you have to do to keep their attention. Got it?"

Peeta and I nodded and said simultaneously, "Got it."

"Good." Finnick said before he took a bite of his pork. Once he had swallowed, he added, "And look pretty, Katniss. It couldn't hurt."

I launched up from the table and punched him in the jaw before anyone else even had time to breathe. I was sure it hurt my hand more than it hurt his face. I cried in pain as I cradled my fist. Everyone stared at me, including Finnick, who was touching his jaw and wincing slightly. The room was dead silent, nobody moving, nobody breathing, nobody doing much of anything besides looking at me with blank expressions.

Surprisingly, Finnick spoke first. "That's the kind of spunk you need in you tomorrow. Have a goodnight, _Katniss._" He said my name with a hiss before he jumped up from the table and left the room, Mags following being him in some sort of a daze.

Marker eyed me curiously but didn't say anything before he left as well. One by one, everyone left the room leaving just Peeta and I. Slowly, he turned towards me and I glanced up to meet his eyes. When the silence grew too long, I snapped. "What, Peeta? What do you have to say?"

He shrugged his shoulders and said softly, "Good shot." Then he smiled and a sound escaped my throat that sounded like a laugh. He pushed me lightly and I was reminded of why Peeta and I were so close. He took me for who I was. Even when I made stupid mistakes like punching my mentor in the face. He didn't make excuses for me or condemn me when I already knew I was wrong. Instead, he stuck by my side and cracked jokes and lifted the weight of heavy situations for me. I was struck again with the thought of how absolutely terrifying all of this would be without him by my side. His words from the opening ceremonies floated to the front of my mind. _"I'm right here next to you, holding your hand." _And he was. Every moment of every day, he was by my side, holding my hand because that's what you did when you were part of a team. You didn't let the other person fall down.

The following morning, we awoke and headed to breakfast. Finnick had a slight bruise on his chin and didn't speak to me throughout the entire meal. All his conversation was directed towards Peeta or Mags or someone else. My hand was still throbbing but luckily, it didn't bruise. I'd have to work through the pain today. And the spunk Finncik had told me I needed I wouldn't have a problem obtaining. I was so mad at him and the games and everything that I knew I had enough fight in me to impress the game makers.

We all gathered into a waiting room after breakfast and awaited our turn. The girl from District 1 was first to go in. She had long, flowing blond hair and green eyes. She was pretty, that was for sure. She was also a career. That made her automatically deadly. One by one, the first three districts went into the room and never came back out. I swallowed my fear and held Peeta's hand until my name was called. I glanced over at my best friend and he whispered, "Show them what you've got, Katniss." I nodded and stood up, releasing my hand from his grasp.

I walked into the room and walked up to the game makers. "Katniss Everdeen. District Four." And then I turned around, letting my bent up anger slowly burn inside of me. I needed to get mad. Mad enough that my anger would fuel my adrenaline. I glanced back at their impatient faces as they waited for me to do something, anything.

I started to think about how much I hated them. How much I hated their stupid faces and their stupid games and their stupid capitol. How wrong it all was. What's the point? What's the point in watching children die on live television? Does that really satisfy the people of the capitol? Does it really serve as an act of entertainment? I ran over to the trident station and grabbed the biggest one they had. It was much nicer than the ones I had used at home but still, it felt familiar in my hand.

I lunched it at a dummy 50 feet away from me, stabbing it through the heart. I pulled it out and thought about how much I dis-tested Finnick and his flirty and degrading comments, his cockiness and air of superiority I sent the trident threw a target 70 feet away. One after another, target and target and dummy after dummy, I stabbed my trident through the various items with a new level of intensity and strength that I had never had before. The more angry I got about everything, the stronger I was, the fiercer I was. I was tearing through the room, stabbing everything in site from various distances, all the way making horrible and vicious noises I didn't even know I was capable of. I didn't even glance at the game makers. I knew they were watching.

And It wasn't like I was pretending these targets were the actual people or that they were the other tributes. I didn't _want _to kill. I just took all my frustration and poured it into that trident. Because I had to get a good score and be able to get sponsors so I could keep Peeta alive. Nothing else mattered now. And at the thought of Peeta and our painful few weeks ahead of us, I sent my trident through the heart of a dummy so forcefully that the trident came out on the other side.

I couldn't tell if I was screaming or crying anymore but all I knew was that I couldn't stop or slow down. I hated everyone and everything and this was all the capitols fault. I would die in a few weeks because of their stupid games and their stupid blood thirsty lifestyle. I'd never see Prim get married or hear Peeta's laugh again or ever again lay my feet in the sand. And so I didn't stop. I was a machine. Stab after stab after stab. Finally, one of the game makers was telling, no _screaming_ at me to stop. I glanced up, tears running down the side of my face and my breathing hard and ragged. I looked around and realized I had completely _destroyed_ the room. Dummies laid half torn apart all over the floor and targets were knocked over across the room. I looked like I was in the middle of a war zone._ I am a monster, _I thought quickly, swallowing back my own disgust with myself.

"You may go now, Katniss." One of them said to me quietly. And so I backed away from the room slowly, trying to catch my breath and my mind. When my back hit the door, I ran out of there quickly, holding back angry and ashamed tears as I walked to my room and locked the door. As I jumped into my bed, a sob finally escaped myself. It was so easy, wasn't it? For the capitol to turn me into an uncontrollable monster. All it took was a little fuel. A little anger to bring me to that point of destruction. _They weren't people. They were targets,_ I thought. But would it make a difference in the arena? Would I kill without even blinking? Had I already become the robot the capitol was trying to force me into becoming?

No. Of course not. I was only doing what I had to so I could get a good score in there. That was all it was. I wiped away my tears and jumped up from bed, facing the mirror that hung on the wall. I looked at myself and swore in that moment, I wouldn't lose myself in that arena. I would kill, of course. But I wouldn't let it consume me, I wouldn't let it reach the point that it would no longer phase me. And everything I did would be for Peeta, to keep him alive, to make sure he came home.

I promised myself in that very moment that I would die with dignity, I would die as Katniss Everdeen, not a monster.

* * *

I rotated to other stations the following day of training, but I had also spent a majority of my time perfecting my new found skill in the sling-shot station. I could hit targets as far as 50 feet away. I knew I was ready to show off my talent to the game makers. I was ready to prove myself as an actual contender in these games.

I awaited my turn outside of the training room doors with all the other tributes. I wasn't oblivious to the looks and glances from other tributes. They didn't phase me, however. I knew what they thought. _There's the mayor's daughter, poor little thing. She'll be dead before she even steps off her plate. _Gale, who sat besides me, noticed the looks as well.

"They are all pathetic." He spat.

I shrugged. "It doesn't bother me."

"Why not?" He asked honestly, turning is head to face me.

"Their opinion of me couldn't matter any less, Gale."

He stared at me for a second longer before he turned away. He glanced impatiently at the door. "What's taking District Four so long?"

He was right. The girl tribute for District Four had been in there for way longer than the allowed ten minutes. Maybe they were cleaning up after her or something. Five minutes later, they called in the boy from District Four. And then things returned to normal and the pace picked back up. One by one, the tributes were called in until it was just Gale and I left alone in the waiting room.

Our silence filled the sticky air. Neither of us spoke as we waited. I wondered what he was thinking about. Maybe he was considering what to show them in his session, maybe he was missing his family, his life. Maybe... no, probably, he was missing the woods. I had caught him numerous times slipping under the fence, looking _alive_. It seemed to be the only place he felt at home. I had wondered what it was like deep in those woods many times. I had even thought about slipping under the fence myself. But fear kept me inside the confines of the district. What would they do to my father if they found his very own daughter in the woods? And what about my ill mother? It was their faces that kept me abiding the rules.

"Madge Undersee." A lady called to me.

I took a shaky breath and stood up. I walked towards the room with nervous steps.

"Madge." Gale's voice called from behind me. I whipped back around and caught the edges of his lips turn upward into a smirk. "Give them one hell of a show."

I smiled myself. "I will. Thanks, Gale." And with that, I spun back around on my heel and walked into the training center.

As I walked deeper into the room, I saw that nobody, not a single game maker, seemed to be paying much attention to me. I said my name as loud as possible. "Madge Undersee, District Twelve." Still, nobody turned at the sound of my voice save one game maker. Half of them were drunk, a few were sleeping, and one was even reading a book.

I didn't let it phase me, though. They would start paying attention once I got to work. I grabbed the sling-shot and lined it up with the target. I released the stone and it went flying towards the bullseye. I turned back to the game makers and a few of them were watching me now, but not many. I took a deep breath and told myself to just keep going. I continued to walk around the room, hitting bullseye after bullseye, even knocking down a few fake moving birds they had set up. I stomped my feet as I walked, trying to make enough noise to draw attention to myself. Nothing seemed to be working, though. They weren't paying attention.

I spotted the Capitol Logo painted onto the wall above the long table of food in which the game makers sat in front of. I had to get them to notice me. I had to get them to realize that I finally had a fighting chance in these games. I deserved their attention. I was so much more than just the helpless mayor's daughter who got reaped. I was Madge Undersee. I had a fire inside of me. I was brave, like my mother told me. I was smart and resourceful, like Gale had said. I had a chance, a real chance in these games now and they were going to acknowledge it, they were going to see me.

So, without even one more moment of hesitation, I lined up my sling-shot with the logo on the wall and sent a stone flying straight towards it. It crashed into the wall with such force that it made a hole in the _O_ of the word _Capitol, _making me appear ten times better than I actually was. Little pieces of the wall crumbed around the hole and the room went silent as they stared at me. Even more frightening was the fact that there were a few game makers lined up against the wall and I could've hit any one of them had my shot been a few feet to the left or right. I could've killed one of them! I just wanted them to notice me! That was all. I didn't mean to put a hole in the wall or almost hurt somebody.

Tiredly, one of the game makers said, "You're dismissed, Madge Undersee."

I nodded my head and walked out of the room, knowing very well that every pair of eyes was fixed on me. And as I walked back to my room, I knew I was done for. They were going to give me the worst score in the history of scores. They were going to kill my father, my mother. They were going to make sure I died first in that arena! Probably by blowing up my plate and then claiming it was an accident. Maybe they'd have a tree fall on me as I walked through the forest. It didn't matter how they did it. All I knew was that I didn't have a fighting chance in these games anymore.

It wasn't until later at dinner that our sessions were brought up by Effie. She stared at Gale and I, who were both being rather quiet, and finally asked. "I'm dying to know, how did the private sessions go?"

I took a sip of my chocolate milk and shrugged before answering. "Alright." I lied.

Gale looked at me curiously. "Really? They went alright?" He questioned.

I sighed and licked my lips, keeping my eyes focused on my food. "Fine. If you must know, they went horrible and I probably ruined everything."

Effie leaned into me. "What do you mean they went horribly, dear?"

I sighed and choice by words carefully. "I sent a rock flying at their heads and it put a giant hole in the wall... in the capitol logo, actually."

Effie gasped and brought her hand to mouth. Haymitch erupted into laughter and I caught Gale smirking as well. Once Haymitch had caught his breath, he asked, "You... you sent a rock flying at their heads? That's brilliant, princess! How did they react?"

I shrugged. "They were basically speechless. I didn't mean to do it, honest! They weren't paying any attention to me and I just wanted them to notice I was even there!"

Haymitch laughed again. "Oh, I'm sure they noticed after that!" He was holding his stomach from laughing so hard.

Effie narrowed her eyes at me. "Madge! This is not okay! You do not treat people like that, especially not the game makers! Have you gone completely mad, dear?"

Gale snorted and spoke up for the first time. "Who cares? There's nothing they can do about it now."

Haymitch nodded. "That's true. It's over and the sessions are completely private. They can't release anything that happens in there."

"But... what about my family?" I asked quietly.

Haymitch shrugged. "They are fine. Like I said, they would need to release information on your private session in order to get you in trouble and they won't do that. It's not worth it."

I sighed. "But they probably will give me a horrible training score and I can kiss my chances of getting sponsors goodbye."

"We will worry about later, princess. What about you, Gale? What happened in there?"

Gale shook his head. "Nothing exciting. I just showed them my work with snares and the bow and arrow plus some spears. I did some hand combat too. I didn't send anything flying at anybody, unfortunately. I am a little jealous." He said to me with a smirk.

I couldn't hide my blush and I turned to stare back down at my food as quickly as possible. Before we knew it, it was time to watch the scores on live TV. We all gathered around the screen as the scores flashed before us. Not surprisingly, the careers scores ranged from eight to ten. The actual shock of the night came when the girl from District 4 pulled off an 11. The boy tribute also did well with a 9. The adorable girl from 11 pulled off a shocking 7! Gale's picture was on the screen and a moment later, a number was flashing under it. It was a 10. The room erupted into cheers and pats on the back. Gale rolled his eyes at the praise but I knew deep down he was ecstatic with his score. I barely even had time to be nervous before my own picture showed up on the screen. I gripped the edge of the couch, my finger nails leaving marks against the leather.

Suddenly, a number appeared below my picture and it wasn't a 1 or a 2. It was an 8. I pulled off an 8! The room went wild once again and Cinna pulled into a hug. I glanced at Haymitch and he nodded his head at me in approval as he clapped. Finally, I looked over at Gale who gave me a real, genuine smile and said, "Good job, princess."

"Yeah, you too." I said back. He held my gaze for a moment later before Effie yanked me into a hug and pulled me out of my stare.

* * *

"An 11? An 11!" I screamed as Peeta jumped up and spun me around in his arms. He sat me back down on the ground and I was laughing. Laughing! Because it was that ridiculous. I had torn the place apart like an animal...but it had paid off.

"Great job!" Peeta whispered into my ear and I found his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"Hey, you got a 9! That's _amazing_, Peeta." He gave me a weak smile.

"Nothing like your score, though. Keeping you alive may be easier than I thought."

I wanted to respond to this but I knew it would just cause another disagreement so instead, I leaned in and kissed his cheek quickly before pulling back. Peeta looked startled and then his cheeks turned red. This was the first time my lips had ever touched him in anyway. I only had time to notice how warm they felt before I had pulled away.

Someone tapped me on the shoulder and I whipped around to find Finnick standing before me. He gave me a real smile and said, "Good job, Katniss." He held out his hand for me to shake it and I glanced up at his eyes to see if he was messing with me. He appeared to be genuine so I shook his hand firmly.

And because I knew I needed to, I said, "I'm sorry about your face. Might put you out of business for a few days and I'm sure that's quite tragic for you." I said the second part in a teasing manner.

He laughed and retorted with, "You can always make it up to me, you know." He winked and just like that, I knew I was forgiven. And I rolled my eyes and turned back around..

"We should celebrate!" Finnick yelled. "Wine all around!"

I had never had wine before. I didn't care for the taste very much but I finished off my cup anyways. Peeta's parents drank a lot and although they were good people, he was afraid of ending up so reliant on alcohol, like they were. He handed me his cup of wine and I knew he hadn't had a single sip.

I gave the cup to Finnick who drank it without a second thought. His words began to slur a cup later. "Tomorrow...we prepare for the interviews!" He cheered a little too loudly, the wine from his cup sloshing over and splashing to the floor.

Oh, great. The interviews. I was horrible in front of the camera and I knew I would have to work up an angle with Finnick and Mags the following day. I already knew if Finnick tried to make me appear sexy and alluring, I would take back my apology and punch him again. I wasn't like-able, not in the way Peeta was, anyway. He wouldn't even need to work on his angle! Peeta was excellent with words and people and cameras. Oh, what I would've given to be him in that moment.

Peeta and I walked back to his room that night. We had slept in his bed again the previous night and it went without saying that we would continue to do so until the games. And even then, we would sleep together. Just not in the comfort of a bed. As he pulled me into his side that night and his fingers found wove through my hair, I whispered to him in the dark.

"I was a monster in there, Peeta."

"In where?"

"The private session. That's how I got an 11. By being exactly what they wanted me to be. And so I promised myself I wouldn't let it happen again. I won't let them change me."

He pulled me tighter into him and his breathe tickled against my ear. "They won't, Katniss. They won't change you. You're strong. Stronger than their power over you."

"What happens when I get a trident in my hand, Peeta? What happens when someone tries to go after you or me? I'm going to kill them. I'll have to. The capitol has the power, not us."

His voice was soft and comforting when he answered. "We won't change who we are, no matter the circumstances, Katniss. Of course we will have to kill but that doesn't mean we will be happy about it. The capitol can't control our minds. They are powerless when it comes to what we think, what we feel. If we stay true to who we are, we are so more than just a piece in their games."

"Then we will do it. We won't change. Not for anybody. Got it?" I whispered back to him.

"Got it."

And then we fell asleep, wrapped in each others arms and with our fresh promise still ringing through the air. We wouldn't go down without a fight, not just against the other tributes but against the capitol as well. If they wanted to turn us into something we weren't, they'd need to try a lot harder than they'd hoped. Because Peeta was right, we were more than just a piece in their games.

* * *

_A/N: Hope you like the new image thing, it's a picture of water and fire mixing ;) Anyways, I had Madge cause a ruckus in the private session BUT she didn't do it out of anger, like Katniss had in the original book. Madge just wanted somebody to notice her. And I hope you like how Katniss reacted in her session. Her anger finally got the best of her. I really like keeping some of the best Katniss and Peeta moments between them, that's why I kept the "piece in their games" line but made it more of a shared idea between the two of them, rather than just Peeta's idea. I think Katniss is a little softer with Peeta being her best friend and Gale is a little rougher since he truly has nobody. I've really thought about these interviews long and hard and how I'm going to write them so be excited! It's different than the book, that's for sure. **PLEASE review** and let me know your thoughts on this chapter and things you liked or didn't like or whatever! And thanks for all the reviews thus far. You guys rock!_


	6. Chapter 6

My hair was dunked into some kind of thick, gooey liquid and then untangled with a comb. Red lipstick, shimmering eye shadow, and pink powder were all applied to my face. Cinna had my interview dress hanging in a black bag against the wall and every time I glanced over at him and nudged him to reveal it to me, he shook his head no. To say the least, I was curious.

Interview Prep with Haymitch had gone well. I was kind and quiet, but confident and that was how I was to act in the interviews. I would say little, but let the words I did say hold power and mystery. I would keep the Capitol guessing and wondering about the girl from District 12. Effie had me practice walking around in heels which was easy for me. I was the Mayor's Daughter, I reminded her. I had been a guest at many official parties and worn many pairs of heels.

A blow dryer appeared and a pair of hands worked on my hair as I continued to stare at the mystery dress on the wall. Someone bent down and painted my toe nails and then my finger nails. Everybody was running around me in full blast, I barely even had time to process anything. Finally, the prep team left the room and Cinna approached me.

"Ah, I finally get to see what I'll be wearing tonight?" I asked enthusiastically.

He nodded and unzipped the black bag. I gasped at the sight before me. The dress was long-sleeved and had a collar that went all the way up the neck. The top part of the dress was done with lace in a deep, crimson color. The dress was tight at the waist and then poof-ed out, the material gathering all the way down to the floor, where it ended. The bottom part of the dress was multi-colored with a brilliant mixture of yellows and oranges and reds. Cinnna helped me step into the dress and a pair of heels. Then he fixed my make-up before leading me over to a mirror. I stared at the girl before me as if she was a stranger. And she was.

The gooey product they had put in my hair had made it appear as if it had a million tiny embers in it. It lit up everywhere, twinkling and glowing. My make-up shimmered under the light in the room. My dress was made to look like fire. I was beautiful. I was fire and I was beautiful.

"Cinna." I gasped.

He smiled at me and leaned in to kiss my cheek. "You looking stunning, Madge. You've already won me over so now it's time for you to win _them_ over." He pointed towards the door, indicating the people of the Capitol. I had to get them to fall in love with me.

I smiled at my stylist and whispered, "Thank you."

He nodded and led me towards the back exit. It was then I spotted Gale a few feet from me. He looked so overwhelming handsome in a black suit with red details on the collar and sleeves, his normally unruly hair slicked back, his gray eyes somehow appearing almost like a light shade of blue. Gale stared at me with an unreadable expression that I had never seen before. It was an odd look for Gale because whatever it was, it wasn't hated or bitterness or disgust. His face was softer and more open than usual. His eyes were locked onto mine and his mouth was sightly open as he stared at me. The look made me feel so inexplicably warm that I forced myself to look away.

Haymitch came out and put a hand on my shoulder and one on Gales. He focused on Gale for a moment and said, "You know what to do, Gale. Play up that brooding, angst crap. They will love it." Gale rolled his eyes and Haymitch smirked. "Look at you, already getting a head start." Then his eyes turned to me. "Remember, Madge. Quiet. Mysterious. Kind. Leave them wanting more."

I nodded my head. "Alright."

"Alright." He said before he dropped his hands from our shoulders. He pulled out a flask from his pocket and took a swig. "I'm ganna need this." He mumbled before walking away, leaving Gale and I alone.

Gale messed with the collar of his suit and said through gritted teeth, "I can't wait to take this stupid thing off."

I laughed a little. "Lace is the itchiest fabric ever known to mankind so I am right there with you."

Behind the door, the Capitol citizens busted out into random cheers and screams and Gale and I turned our heads towards the noise at the same time. Gale sighed and said, "The last thing I want to do is put on a show for them."

"Yeah, well, we don't have a choice." I mumbled.

He looked back at me and said, "I always knew my name would get picked eventually. My chances were just too high. But you, you had five slips in there. Five slips out of hundreds."

I shrugged. "Somebody's name has to be picked. Just a case of bad luck that it was mine."

"I use to wonder if your name was even in there. Being the Mayor's daughter and all..." He said quietly.

I gave him a sad smile and whispered, "Well, now you'll never wonder again."

We stared at each other for a long moment, locked in some sad and bitter glance that filled the air around us with a inevitable feeling of grief. Maybe it was the first time we were both realizing that we had spent this entire time feeling sorry for ourselves when all the while, we weren't the only person feeling that way. Two names got drawn from our district that day, not just one. Gale and Madge. Not just Gale and not just Madge. We were both practically doomed, our fate practically sealed. It was like for the first time, we were realizing that this was sad for both of us. We both were leaving behind families and a life and dreams and goals and wishes and promises. We were both apart of something before these games and now the chances of ever returning to that life were one out of twenty-four. That was it.

"Gale and Madge, we're ready for you." A voice called to us through the door. We broke out of our stare and walked towards the stage, not even daring to look back at each other for even a single moment longer. Because the moment had gone and passed. We had felt sorry for each other. And now, it was back to reality. Back to fighting for our own lives. But here was the thing; I had already saved Gale's life once, yes. But I couldn't help but wonder if that meant I was only prone to try to save it again. Would I really only be trying to protect myself in that arena? I didn't know. And as we stepped onto stage, the roaring and deafening cheers of the Capitol drowned out all other thoughts from my brain.

I stared at them, a warm smile on my lips and I began to wave excitedly. _Quiet. Kind. Mysterious . _I glanced at Gale, who was scowling at the crowds and I had to bite my lip from laughing. _Brooding, angst crap. _We were already playing our parts so well. We were directed over to some chairs on the stage and sat down in the two labeled, _District 12. _The other tributes were already placed on the stage all around us. And the interviews were beginning.

* * *

I fiddled with my hands as the girl from District 1 played up her sexy side on stage with Caesar Flickerman. Peeta sat next to me, steady and placid as always. I still had no idea what I was going to say, how I was going to act. I had no idea what was going to come out of my mouth. Finnick and I had spent hours trying to figure out how I should play this interviews. Who would I be? What would I say?

"Katniss," Finnick had said earlier that morning, the exhaustion evident in his voice. "You have to work up some kind of angle!"

I had sighed and thrown up my hands in the air. "I don't know what to do! I can't be sexy, I can't be perky or kind or thankful because I am none of those things. I am disgusted with this entire place and the games. How about I act disgusted! There's an angle."

Finnick sighed from his place on the couch and leaned in towards me, his elbows finding rest on his knees. "You need an angle that gets you sponsors."

"Yeah, well screw sponsors." I had mumbled before crossing my arms over my chest.

He watched me carefully for a moment before he spoke up. "I know your plan, Katniss."

"What plan?" I asked, playing dumb.

He rolled his eyes. "You have no intention of letting Peeta die for you. You're going to die for him instead."

"That's no secret." I snapped back, although it was a secret. If Peeta figured it out, if he hadn't already, keeping him alive would be a lot harder than it needed to be.

The features on his face softened. "It's okay, Katniss. You don't have to act like this. I understand. We do crazy things for the people we love. It compels us to places we never thought of going to on our own."

I was going to ask him what he could _possibly_ know about love but I was stuck on his implication that I loved Peeta. Well, of course I did. But what kind of love was he implying? He was my best friend. He had been since we were children. There was nothing more to the story than that. As I was figuring all this out in my head, Finnick spoke again.

"So, if you want to keep Peeta alive, the best thing you can do for him is get sponsors. Make sure everybody knows you two are a team in this thing and hopefully they'll see whatever it is Peeta sees in you. They will like the idea of the two of you, the best friends, the duo."

The sound of the buzzer brought me back to present time. I had zoned out for the entire interview for both the girl and boy from District 1. The girl from 2 was taking her place with Caesar. I heard Caesar say her name. Clove. Just as she started talking, I zoned out again and glanced over at Peeta. He gave me a warm and reassuring smile that I tried my best to return. Once again, our outfits complimented one another. His light blue suit matched my dress. Marker had done it again with a dress that completely blew me away.

The top was made of this sheer fabric, which was decorated with little gemstones, all different shades of blue and all varying sizes. Right above my breast, the sheer ended and was replaced with a silky navy blue fabric that clung to my curves. At the waist line, the dress hung at varying lengths, making it very easy to twirl in. Which Marker had told me to do at some point in the interview. He said I would know when the time was right, whatever that meant.

The tributes blurred past me and before I knew it, my name was being called. I took a shaky, deep breath before I walked towards Caesar. "Katniss Everdeen, District Four!" He announced as he kissed my hand. I smiled at him nervously and we sat down in two plush chairs.

The roaring crowd died down and Caesar said, "So, Katniss. How has your stay at the Capitol been so far?"

_Make sure everybody knows you and Peeta are a team._ "Well, I like that I get to be here with my best friend." I answered simply.

Caesar smiled and said, "Ah, yes. Peeta Mellark who volunteered for the boy tribute. What was going through your head when he did that?"

I swallowed and focused my eyes on the floor. I hated him. I felt betrayed. I felt sad. I felt angry. None of the things sounded like sponsor winning speeches, however. So, I replied with something vague but truthful. "I was... confused. I didn't understand why he was doing it."

Caesar nodded his head. "He didn't want you to steal all the glory, am I right?" He turned to the crowd and they erupted into an applause. Caesar laughed for a moment and then turned back towards me. "So, what will you two do now that you're both here?" He asked.

_This_ I could answer. "Go into this thing together and give it all we've got."

Caesar frowned. "But only one tribute can win."

"We will worry about that later. For now, we will work as one. And two is better than one, right?" The crowd clapped and cheered at this.

"I suppose you're right. Now, you're from District Four. The fishing district. What skills has that equipped you with?"

I smiled slightly. "Why don't we wait until the games to reveal that. I don't want to give it away."

He laughed and said, "I'm sure whatever your skill is, it sure impressed those game makers in order for you to pull off an 11! Can you clue us in on what happened in there?"

I glanced at Marker across the room and he nodded his head, signaling it was time for me to show off my dress. And If I knew Marker, then I knew what would happen when I twirled around in that dress. With a witty smirk I said, "Well, Caesar, I made a splash in there. That's what." And then I stood up and spun around. The entire room gasped and as I spun, I caught myself on the TV screen. The way the fabric had been cut at the bottom of the dress made it appear as if waves were crashing against me, once again, I was engulfed in a wave. It was beautiful, the way the blues swirled around and around. The room was ecstatic, my name being chanted all across the room. When I stopped spinning, I was so dizzy that I had to sit down. Just in time because my buzzer went off.

Caesar grabbed my hand and kissed it and said to the crowd, "Everybody, let's hear it one more time for Katniss Everdeen, who continues to make splash after splash here in the Captiol!" The crowd's screams were deafening.

They were just dying down once Peeta had taken his seat next to Caesar. He asked Peeta about the food and Peeta made a few jokes about how he was so thankful everything didn't smell like fish here. The crowd instantly loved him. His smiles and jokes, his warm way of speaking. Him and Caesar bantered with each other for a while, and the crowd went wild. Eventually, things calmed down and Caesar leaned into Peeta, a serious expression planted on his face.

"So, Peeta, as we all know, you volunteered for the boy tribute so you could go into the arena with Katniss."

Peeta nodded. "That's right."

"What was going through your mind at the time?"

Peeta sighed and placed his hands in his lap. "I just knew I needed to protect her, needed to be there for her. She's my whole world, Caesar."

The crowd broke out into an _"Awwwww." _They quieted down after a moment and Caesar asked another crucial question.

"You seem to really care about her, Peeta."

"She's strong and quick and brave and she has more value than she will ever realize." Peeta smiled softly before he continued. "She's going to win the games, Caesar."

"And what about you, Peeta?"

"What about me?"

The entire room was silent. Caesar replied in a low and gentle voice. "You don't plan on winning the games?"

Peeta shook his head. "No, of course not. I plan on doing whatever it takes till we are the final two, Katnis and I."

You could hear a pin drop when Caesar asked, "And then what, Peeta?"

Peeta licked his lips and hesitated for a small moment. He blinked and then said in a strong and sure voice, "And then I'll kill myself so she can win."

The gasp heard throughout the room was immediate and loud, _very_ loud. Caesar's jaw hung open as he tried to think of a response. Peeta's buzzer went off and he left the stage. We were supposed to stay on the stage until all interviews were done but I didn't care, I chased after him.

He was in the back room, the one we entered the stage through. I yanked his wrist and whipped him around to face me. There were already tears in my eyes as I screamed at him. "What the _HELL _was that?"

Peeta held his hands up in defense. "I just told him the truth!"

I was crying now. "You're an idiot, Peeta! You can not just tell the entire nation that you plan on killing yourself, that is NOT the way the games work!"

"It doesn't matter, Katniss. They promise me my death anyways!"

"You really think they will let us get to the final two now, huh? You really think you just made your job easier? You made it impossible, Peeta! Plus, you might as well just draw a huge X on your forehead because every tribute in that arena is going to come after you first!" I sobbed, throwing my fist into his chest in painful stabs.

"Good!" He yelled back. "Then I can get them all at once and keep you alive longer."

I was still pounding my fist into his chest as I screamed at him. "They'll kill you before you even have time to blink! Why would you tell Caesar that, what is wrong with you?"

"I thought it would get us sponsors, get people to feel bad for us. I don't know, Katniss. I was just trying to get the attention off of you and on me a little so if they felt like coming after one of us, it would be me and not_ you_."

I tried to laugh but it came out as another sob. "You honestly think you're doing me a favor by dying for me, don't you? You honestly think I want to live? Peeta, don't you see that I'd rather die than be without you too?"

His eyes narrowed at me for a long moment and then something resembling recognition crossed over his expression. "You never planned on letting me go through with this, did you?" He asked softly. I wiped at my face but didn't respond. I kept my eyes glued to the floor as he continued. "You plan on dying for _me._"

"I have no life without you." I whispered.

"No, that's not true." He replied. "You'll be fine without me."

"No." I said in a strangled cry. I felt a thousand miles away from him in that moment. From everyone and everything. Peeta did not get it. I would never again be fine without Peeta. Life would go on and keep spinning but not for me. My world would never spin again.

His eyes were filling with his own tears and we stared at each other, truly caught in a predicament. We couldn't decide which one of lived and which one died. And we both knew dying was the easiest route, the route we both wanted. Peeta would never agree to me keeping him alive and I would never agree to keeping myself alive. And I was so angry. So damn upset and angry because if he had never volunteered, none of this would've happened.

"You put us in this stand-still, Peeta. You put us here when you volunteered." I said through gritted teeth.

His eyes stayed locked on mine and as he blinked back tears, he said softly. "I won't apologize for it, Katniss. I'll never apologize for it. I was protecting my best friend."

"No, you weren't protecting her!" I hurled back. "You were killing her. Because without you, I am as good as dead anyway." I walked away from him them and without even looking back, I knew he wouldn't follow me. Not tonight. Not right now. Not when we both were fighting for each others lives. I didn't understand how I could hate and love someone so much at the same time. And I couldn't handle the shredding of my heart as I walked away.

* * *

I couldn't seem to pay much attention after District Four's interviews. The boy had marked his life as suicide. He had defied the Capitol. He had made a declaration of sacrifice. And I couldn't help but think he was the bravest tribute I had ever seen. Gale sat beside me quietly, his eyes focused off into the distance instead of on the current interviews. The boy from 11 was just finishing up. My turn was next.

The capitol lights danced on the stage and Caesar dismissed the boy and called my name. I wiped my hands on the sides of my fire dress and walked towards him. He brought my hand to his lips to kiss it as we sat down and the roaring crowd settled back down again.

"Madge Undersee! How are you enjoying the Captiol?"

I gave him a smile. "It's far more fascinating than the pictures I've seen from my father's office back home." The crowd chucked lightly.

Caesar responded with, "Ah, yes. You're the Mayor's Daughter. Do you think that could give you some kind of advantage in the arena?"

I shook my head. "Not really, no. I'm just like everybody else... except..." I trailed off.

Caesar leaned in. "Well, except what?"

"There's more to me than meets the eye." I said vaguely. I wasn't even sure what that meant, if anything. But it sounded mysterious enough. "I'm much more than you would think I'd be."

He nodded and pressed his powder blue lips together. "Well, you did score an impressive eight in training! That sure does tell us there's more to you than just your name. How did you do it?"

I thought about this for a moment. I obviously couldn't reveal that I had nearly killed one of the game makers by flinging that stone at the Capitol logo and their heads. So I gave the Capitol a pretty smile and said, "Well, Caesar, some secrets are secrets for a reason. I can tell you one thing, nobody in that room saw me coming." I let out a laugh and the room laughed with me as well. The crowd was eating me up.

"Madge, I do have one more question for you and it's rather serious." Caesar cleared his throat. "Your father, the Mayor... what did he say to you at the reaping?"

I was whipped back in time, to the afternoon of the reaping, to the confusing words my father had left me with. _"__I will come up with something. A plan of some kind and work with Haymitch to save you... to save the boy tribute too. To save as many kids as possible." _They had scared me then and being reminded of them in that moment on stage had nearly frightened me to death again. I hadn't been prepared for the memory to return. I hadn't practiced this.

Caesar stared at me curiously. I was looking at him like a deer caught in the light. I couldn't speak and I felt a lump forming in my throat. I missed my Father so much. And he was going to try something, he was going to try to get me out. He was going to end up dead, I just knew it. I could feel it. All because of me. And the reaping. And the games. _Quiet. Mysterious. Kind, _I reminded myself. But yet, I sat there appearing and feeling like an idiot.

"Madge, what did he say?" Caesar repeated gently.

I had to think fast. I blinked back the tears and said quietly and quickly, "He... he wished me good luck and told me he loved me." _He wished me good luck? What! What a horrible response. _I coughed awkwardly and tried to smile again for the crowds but it was a half-hearted attempt.

"Well, then I wish you good luck as well, Madge." My buzzer went off and after another round of applause, I sat back down. I was so out of it for the first half of Gale's interview. I only caught bits of Caesar trying to small talk with Gale and failing miserably. But my ears finally perked up at the mention of something interesting. Gale was telling Caesar he had no problem taking down as many tributes as possible. And then he paused and said, "Except for one tribute, though"

"Oh, which tribute would that be?"

And of course, because my life could not get anymore complicated, Gale said, "Well... Madge Undersee."

Caesar cocked his eye brows. "You wouldn't be able to kill Madge Undersee?"

"Nope." He said simply.

"And why is that?"

Gale opened his mouth but then like always, he hesitated. After a long and awkward moment, he simply said, "Because she's a good girl. That's why."

Caesar nodded. "Indeed she is. Any special skills that will help you take down the _other_ tributes, then?"

"I know how to hunt, if I need to. My bet is most of the tributes will be too idiotic to make it out of the blood bath alive, however." He said sharply and the crowd laughed, finding his brooding behavior hilarious, apparently.

His interview continued and Gale played up the angst bit but I was still shocked by his declaration. He had told me once he would be unable to kill me but not in the front of the Capitol. Why would he tell them that? A part of me wondered briefly if somehow, Gale was trying to protect me. His interview ended and we were let off the stage. The girl and boy from four, Katniss and Peeta, had already left the stage after his interview but nobody seemed to really notice or care.

It wasn't until Gale and I were in the hallway headed back to our rooms when I finally confronted him. Once and for all. Because I was sick and tired of him never admitting it, never acknowledging it. "Gale!" I called to him from the other end of the hall. He turned around and I marched over towards him, stopping only a few feet from him.

And without waiting a second longer, I jumped right into the heart of the matter. "Why can't you kill me? Is it because I saved your life all those years ago?" He opened his mouth to respond but I cut him off with my hand. "But that wouldn't make sense because you don't seem to care about the fact that I saved your life. You never have."

"Madge," He said softly, his eyes glued to mine with intensity.

"Why have you never said thank you for that day? Two words, Gale. Two simple words. Instead, you've ignored me for the past four years! You would've been whipped to death in the square if I didn't come up with the story about the necklace and take you to the doctors. After all that, you still can hardly even look at me!"

"You think this is easy for me?" He asked sharply. "You think I _wanted _to be helped by the perfect Mayor's Daughter? Do you know how horrible that made me feel, Madge? The fact that I was laying there, half-alive covered in blood and dirt and you waltzed over in your white dress and saved the day!"

I rolled my eyes. "So this is an issue of your ego and your pride?"

"Damn it. No, Madge!" He yelled. "It's the fact that I have no idea what to say to you, what to do, I have no idea how to repay you! I will spend the rest of my life owing you!"

I scoffed. "Oh, you don't owe me anything, Gale."

"I owe you _everything_!" He hurled back, stomping his foot out of frustration. "Everything." He repeated. "And I can't escape it. I can never... get away from it."

"All I wanted was a thank you." I whispered.

He held my gaze for a long moment, only dropping it when he realized I wasn't going to look away first. And then, with his voice soft again, he told me, "I'm sorry, Madge. But I can't." He walked away and into his room, shutting the door and shutting me out, once and for all. The games were tomorrow. This was probably the last time we would ever speak to each other. All I had wanted was some appreciation. But it turned into a pity party for Gale. So what if he felt like he owed me. Was that reason enough to hate me and never speak to me? I saved his life and I have more money and I'm the Mayor's Daughter and I'm a girl and I'm sure that humiliated him but he humiliated me when he treated me like dirt for four years.

I guess this was how our story ended, with loose words and conflicting emotions. I guess I would never mean much of anything to Gale. The only reason he couldn't kill me in that arena would be because he felt like he owed me. What a pathetic and tragic story we were telling. As I walked back to my own room, I tried to be angry at Gale. But for whatever reason, all I felt was longing. A longing to make things right, to be friends, to try again. But none of it mattered. I would be dead in the matter of two weeks. And most likely, so would he.

* * *

_A/N: Oh my lord. Writing material for FOUR interviews was SO HARD. SO, it didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped. And this chapter is so long but I like it for the most part. I hope you understand why Gale is upset. I hope you understand why everyone is acting the way they are actually. Let me know what you like/don't like! REVIEW AWAY PLEASE :) I really like to contrast my two pairs, don't I? I have interviews and then dramatic arguments. Haha. Anyways, the games will begin probably at the end of the next chapter.. or in the middle of it somewhere. REVIEW and THANK YOU for all the reviews thus far! Sorry for any mistakes. I am so exhausted._


	7. Chapter 7

I remember once, when I was thirteen, I got stung by a jellyfish. We were far from shore when I felt something around my feet. I thought it was sea weed and so I kicked it away with my foot. It was then that I felt the intense stinging sensation on my ankle. I let out a yelp and Peeta turned to me, alarmed. When I told him something stung me, he swung me up into his arms and carried me to shore quickly. I had my arms wrapped around his neck and was having difficulty breathing. Peeta practically ran with me in his arms to the local doctor. They poured vinegar on my ankle as I tried to breathe in and out slowly. I puked into a bucket as Peeta held my hair back. I heard someone say I was having a "severe reaction" to the sting. I don't remember much from that afternoon but I do remember them handing me two blue pills that I swallowed down and soon after, I began to slightly feel better. Well, at least the puking had stopped.

Peeta stayed with me all afternoon and into the night. I stayed at the doctors on a cot, and he alternated between holding my hand and brushing my hair out of my forehead. I was in a hazy state from the drugs and not completely in my right mind, so once Peeta stood up to use the bathroom I started to cry because I was so afraid he was leaving me.

"Don't leave." I had whispered as the tears began to slip down my cheek.

He grabbed my hand and squeezed it tightly and said gently, "I'll never leave you."

I have never been much of a needy person. In fact, I hate feeling helpless. I hate feeling like I need another human to survive or make it through. But for the first time that night, I let myself be needy. I let Peeta take care of me and I let myself act like a vulnerable and weak thirteen year old girl. He took care of me and it felt good. It felt right.

Just like I needed him that night, I needed him the night before the games. And although we had fought, although I hated him, I knew I wouldn't be able to survive the night without him. It was around two in the morning when I finally slipped out of my bed and made way towards his own room. Halfway down the hall, I spotted him coming towards me. We stopped and stared at each other. It was one of those moments where I realized again why we were best friends. Although we were different, when we got down the the very core of our beings, we weren't that different at all. We both knew leaving our relationship hanging by a thread the night before the games was a horrible idea. And we both knew we wouldn't be able to handle the next few hours of darkness without one another.

I ran straight to him, practically knocking him over. His hands instantly wrapped around my back and engulfed me into a warm and soothing hug. I was fighting back tears as I buried my head deep into his shoulder, and he was whispering something to be over and over again as his hands entangled themselves in my hair. "I'm sorry." He was saying. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

And so I said, "I'm sorry." And neither of us really knew what we were apologizing for. We had meant every word we had exchanged with each other earlier. I guess we were sorry this was happening, sorry both of us couldn't survive. Sorry for all the things that were out of our control.

Slipping under Peeta's covers that night was different than the previous nights. Because we would never again share a bed. We would never again have that level of privacy, intimacy. I felt in then, hanging in the air, floating above us. That feeling you get when you have so much you want to say to someone, but you don't know where to begin. And you don't know if you'll ever be able to stop once you start.

"Peeta," I began softly.

"Shhhh." He said as he pulled me closer into his chest. "Don't talk."

"Why not?" I whispered.

He didn't say anything for a long moment. And then he answered quietly. "Because if you do, I'll start crying. And I don't want to do that, Katniss. Not tonight. Let's just lay here, please."

And so I shut my mouth and moved in closer to Peeta. And I traced my finger down his collarbone mindlessly. And I studied the lines on his face and the smell of his skin. And the feeling of his hand in my hair. Because soon enough, I would be dead and all of this would be gone. I wanted more time. I needed more time. I wanted to breathe him in deeper, further closer. But instead, I heard Peeta sleeping beside me and knew I needed to get sleep as well. And within the comfort of his arms, I knew I could.

When we awoke in the morning, we headed to breakfast together. It was a solemn morning, and Finnick didn't even try to flirt with me. We ate quietly and although my stomach was churning, I tried to eat as much as possible. I knew I wouldn't be getting much food in the arena unless I got my hands on some kind of a spear to catch fish with. Or at least a net.

After breakfast, Finnick pulled me to the side to give me some final words of advice. He stared at me for a moment, a sad smile on his face.

"What?" I asked.

"I'm just sad you're going to try to die. Because if you didn't do that, you'd actually have a chance of coming home."

I returned his smile. "Yeah, what underage girl will you hit on when I'm not around?" I teased him to lighten the mood but my voice cracked and I knew killing myself wasn't going to be easy. I didn't _want_ to die.

Finnick somehow managed a laugh and then his face changed into something very serious. He let out a shaky breath and said, "Just remember something Katniss. You're not doing Peeta any favors by keeping him alive. Nobody leaves the arena without scars. The nightmares don't begin to your back home."

I swallowed. "That mentor... from district 12.. he seems to always be drinking."

Finnick nodded. "His name is Haymitch, I know him."

"So he drinks to try to heal the scars." I said quietly. "What do you do, Finnick?"

His eyes found mine as he said, "Ignore the pain and mask it with something much more tolerable, like humor. I don't know. I just try to make it through the day."

So that's why Finnick walked around making crude jokes and laughing his life away. Because the only alternative was living the nightmares that haunted him. And that's what he had meant when he told me that first day that winning wasn't all it was cracked up to be. In fact, winning the games was the easy part. It was spending the rest of your life fighting off the pain that was hard.

I surprised us both when I hugged him. My arms wrapped around his neck and my head leaned on his shoulder. "Thanks for everything, Finnick." I said quickly.

"Keep making waves in that arena. Down to your very last breath." He whispered into my ear right before we pulled away. I nodded and locked my eyes with him for one more moment. And then Mags was grabbing my shoulder so I turned away from Finnick to face her. She cupped my face in her hands and studied me. She began to speak and although I had had much trouble understanding her in the past, her words were clear to me in that moment. She was saying, _Come back home. _I smiled and nodded my head, even though I had no intention of coming home. She returned my smile and then walked away from me. My name was being called then and I stepped away from my mentors and walked down a dark hallway that led to the launching room.

* * *

I didn't know what to do with my hands as I waited on a couch in a small room with Cinna. The games were beginning. This was actually happening. I could die in a matter of minutes. And if I somehow did manage to survive the first five minutes, what about the rest of the time? How long could I really stay alive? I had a chance, yes, now that I knew how to use a weapon. But what the career tributes from one and two? What about the water girl, Katniss, who scored an 11? Where did my chances lie in a combat with any one of them?

"I can't do this, Cinna. I can't go in there." I said in a panic as I stood up and paced the room. "I can't. There's no way. I'm not strong enough, I'm not big enough, I'm not...I can't do this!"

Cinna grabbed my shaking hands and pulled them to his chest. His eyes met mine and he said in a calm and steady manner, "You can do this, Madge. You're stronger than you think."

It reminded me of what Haymitch had told me just moments prior. We were standing outside of the launch room and he was telling me goodbye. He had a flask in his pocket but he hadn't touched it all morning. He stared at me for a long while before he spoke. Then he had said, "Madge, your biggest strength is going to be your brain. You can outsmart the others. Don't forget that."

"But I'm not _strong_, Haymitch." I had said back.

He nodded his head. "You are, Madge. Far more stronger than you give yourself credit for."

As I focused back on Cinna, he kissed the back of my hand gently and led me back over to the couch. We waited for what seemed like forever before they were calling my name. My breath caught in my throat and I faced Cinna, the fear evident in my eyes.

"Let yourself be afraid for five seconds, Madge. Then tuck it away." He whispered into my ear. I nodded and allowed the fear to overwhelm me for a few moments. And then like he said, I closed my eyes and swallowed it down, because there was no time to be scared. I had to go win the games. When I stood on my medal plate and the glass cylinder closed around me, I glanced back at my stylist one more time and he mouthed something that gave me hope. _See you soon. _He had mouthed.

_See you soon._

My plate began to rise.

* * *

As my plate secured into place, the sunlight was so bright, it blinded me for a moment. And then, the arena came into focus. I glanced to my left and right, immediately searching for Peeta's plate. He was about five plates over to my right. His eyes were frantically searching for me as well and when he finally saw me, he sighed in relief. I took a moment to glance at the land in front of us. Weapons laid all around, scattered on the ground before all the tributes. But inside of a medal cornucopia was where the majority of the weapons and supplies were piled. And right in my direct line of vision, at the very top of the pile, there was a brand new trident.

_What?_ I literally let out a gasp. There was no way they would be a trident in the arena! It was, without a doubt, put in for me. But why? Finnick received a trident as a sponsor gift, yes. But it wasn't just laying there in the arena for him to grab. As I tried to figure this out in my head, I caught Peeta's eye again and he saw the trident as well. He looked just as confused as I did and then, out of nowhere, it hit me.

The trident was at the very top of the pile of supplies. In order for me to get it, I would need to run directly into the blood bath. The Capitol knew I wouldn't be able to resist trying to get the trident and they were hoping it would kill me in the process. And it probably would. Because Peeta had made a declaration to keep me alive so he could die, they were going to do everything to make sure I didn't survive. That way, Peeta wouldn't need to kill himself. He'd just end up dying later when another tribute killed him or with a Capitol produced horror.

Somewhere in between my train of thought, the gong went off and I stepped off my plate in hazy state. I blinked and forced myself to focus. Peeta ran towards me. He grabbed my shoulders and said quickly, "That trident... they put it there on purpose." He had figured it out as well.

"I know." I said, "And I'm not playing this game by their rules. I'll get it later, Peeta. I'll steal it from another tribute." Even though every muscle in my body was aching to go chase after the trident, I knew I couldn't. That's exactly what the Capitol wanted and I refused to give them the satisfaction. I looked down and saw Peeta had a backpack in his hands and felt ashamed I had nothing. I whipped around and spotted what looked like another pack ten feet away from me. I ran after it and Peeta guarded me without any questions.

Just as I was reaching for the pack, the boy tribute from eight was a few feet in front of me, fumbling with a bow an arrow. He aimed for me but somehow missed and the arrow lodged in the ground. I yanked it and just as he was grabbing the pack, I stabbed the arrow into his calf. He cried out in pain and fell to the ground. I stared at him for a moment. I had been in the arena for less than a minute and I had already attacked another tribute. Peeta was pulling me away, however, so there was no time to feel like a monster. We ran deep into the forest and away from the blood bath. We ran and ran, mile after mile, until we both collapsed to the ground behind some thick trees.

"Let's see what we've got." I said as we dumped our packs onto the ground before us. Luckily, we both had a sleeping bag. Peeta also had a small sleeve of crackers, a cutting knife, a water canister, and some gauze. My bag had a small red container of matches, a decent sized knife wrapped in cloth, some edible plant leaves, and a long, skinny rope. As I handed the rope to Peeta, he told me he could easily turn it into a net to catch fish in. And with my knife, I'd be able to stab a few fish. It was _much_ more difficult to use than a trident but it would do for now.

At the thought of the trident, I wondered if I had made the right choice by not going straight into the cornucopia. How would I had kept Peeta alive during that time? Surely he would've followed me and got himself killed. And I would've most likely died in the process as well. But still, the mere fact that somebody was running around with a trident, _my_ trident, made me want to scream.

"Katniss." Peeta said to me then. I looked up at he gave me a soft smile. "We're not dead yet."

I nodded. "We're not dead yet."

* * *

As I leaned against my boulder, I let myself finally process everything that had happened.

When my plate had clicked into place, I immediately spotted Gale only two spots away from my own. And on the ground, no more than five feet in front of him, there was a sling-shot. Gale must've saw me staring at it because he looked down as well. Just as I was processing how to get it, the gong went off and I didn't even have time to run in his direction. Because I watched, clear as day, as Gale picked up the sling-shot and hurled it towards me. I had been so confused that I didn't catch it. But it landed at my feet and I grabbed it quickly. When I glanced back up, Gale was already running into the cornucopia, his eye on some weapon.

I stood there for a moment, trying to figure out my next move. I knew I had to get out of there but I didn't no which direction to go. I decided to run for the woods like I saw a few other terrified tributes doing. As I secured the sling-shot onto my belt loop, I began to run straight towards the trees. I felt someone coming at me from my left side and I turned my head, I watched a knife come flying towards my face. I screamed and tumbled to the ground, missing the deadly knife by only a few inches. I rolled and when I stood back up, the girl who threw the knife, Clove, was already distracted by another helpless tribute. I ran quickly into the forest. I spotted a huge bush that would provide me with camouflage and slipped behind it for a moment so I could catch my breath.

I watched as tributes chopped away at each other, boys and girls falling to the ground left and right. The boy from nine came up behind Gale with a knife. Gale managed to twist around and pin the boy to the ground before I could even blink an eye. He stole the knife and stabbed it into the boys heart. I didn't want to watch anymore. I ran deeper into the woods and away from the nightmare in front of me.

It wasn't until I was a few miles in that I realized I had grabbed nothing besides the sling-shot. No other weapons, no backpacks, no other tools for survival. I hadn't grown up in the woods like Gale. I didn't know how to survive out here! I started to have somewhat of a panic attack until I remembered how well I had done on the edible plant test in training. If I could find some of the plants that were safe, I would at least have something to eat. The rest of the time in the arena... well, I would worry about that later.

I found a large boulder a few miles in that would keep me hidden. I sneaked behind it and glanced up at the sky. The sun was scorching and it couldn't even be noon yet. I was thirsty. Very thirsty. And hungry. And shaking. And scared to death. But once again, I tucked away my fear. Because I had to.

After a while of resting and being sure nobody was coming after me, I walked around and gathered some edible berries and leaves. I made myself a makeshift fruit salad and inhaled it quickly. The juice from the berries was nice but my head was beginning to pound from lack of water. I was certain my hiding place was as good as any other, so I decided I would stay there for the remainder of the day. I gathered berries and plants and with a giant leave and a few twigs, I made myself a bag. I smiled proudly at my work but the moment I tried to put anything inside of it, it fell apart.

It was clear I was not cut out for this. I knew Gale was probably somewhere miles away, building a fire and eating a squirrel he had hunted and counting his supplies. I felt the sling-shot in my hands. Why had he tossed it to me? Why had he helped me! It was clear last night that we were to have nothing more to do with each other. We weren't friends. We were nothing. I guess he gave it to me because he still felt like he owed me. That was all it was, right? Probably. All I knew was that thinking of Gale made my already pounding head hurt far worse than possible. With a dry mouth and a throbbing headache, I curled up into a ball and tried to think of way for me to get out of this hell.

* * *

_A.N: Shoot, I didn't know where to end this. I had an idea of where to but then I would've needed to switch back to Katniss POV and then back to Madge again and it would be too long so I'll save it for next chapter! Anyways, the games have begun! What do you guys think of everyones actions thus far? What do you think will happen? I love to hear your opinions! **REVIEW AWAY **and once again, thanks for all the amazing reviews. They literally MAKE MY DAY!_


	8. Chapter 8

The sky was tragically colorful that first night. Picture after picture, dead tribute after dead tribute. The initial blood bath was over and the deaths for the first day had been tallied. Ten total. I saw their faces flash in front of me and Peeta. There was the boy from eight, the one that I had stabbed in the leg. Surely, I hadn't killed him but I had definitely helped in the process. This feeling made me slightly nauseous. When the anthem ended and the pictures faded away, Peeta and I laid deep in a valley, hidden by trees and bushes and the dark sky. We tried to figure out which tributes were left.

"All four of the careers from one and two." Peeta whispered to me quietly. "Plus, the girl from five."

"And," I added, "The girls from six and nine, the boy from ten, both tributes from eleven, and both from twelve. Is that fourteen, including us?"

Peeta counted silently to himself for a moment and then nodded. "That's all of them."

We had snuggled together closely in our sleeping bags that night, fighting off the bitter cold that stung our cheeks and noses. With two sleeping bags and our shared body heat, we were able to stay at least slightly warm. I knew that the temperature would probably continue to drop every night. They could freeze us to death in a a few hours if they wanted to.

When we awoke in the morning, we walked a few miles deeper into the forest. We found a stream and filled up our water bottles. I was able to catch a small fish with my knife but that was it. I _needed_ to get my trident. With a sigh, we cooked the fish as quickly as possible and ate our small meal. I put out the fire with some water from the stream before we got back on our feet. As we walked through the forest, we wondered allowed where the other tributes probably were.

"I bet the careers are back by the cornucopia." I said.

Peeta nodded. "Most likely. Any idea where the rest of them could be?"

"Somewhere in these woods with us, I'm assuming." I said quietly, looking around hesitantly. I was so terrified of an attack. Besides a few knifes, what type of weapons did we have in our defense? If someone came at us with my trident or a spear, we wouldn't stand a chance. Unless I was able to steal the trident right out from under them, which was less probable than I would like to think.

"We better keep moving then." Peeta said with a shrug. "We'll run into someone eventually and hopefully, they have even less weapons than we do."

And so we walked all through the morning and into the afternoon. The sun was beating down our backs. We were used to the sun, of course. But this was different. They were controlling the temperature somewhere in the game room, Seneca Crane himself was probably laughing as he turned up the heat to an unreasonable amount.

I was able to kill a small sleeping rabbit with my knife and so lunch was a little more fulfilling. Plus, I caught two more fish. We each ate a cracker with our meat and Peeta even found some berries to add to our feast. We stopped to eat on some boulders. It had been a quiet day and we hadn't heard any canons, which would of course symbolized another tributes death.

"I wonder who will be next." I said allowed as I ate. "To die."

Peeta smirked and said, "What a lovely thought for so early into the day."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Well somebody's got to go next."

"I know, I know. But you can rest easy knowing it won't be either of us." He said before reaching over and taking my hand in is. It was a nice and simple gesture, one that comforted me far more than anything else could in the moment. It was sweet and sincere and made me not to want to die. I wanted to go back home with Peeta. But we both knew that wasn't an option. I pulled my hand away suddenly because all of these thoughts were depressing me. Peeta, who was still under the impression that he would be the one to die, must've been thinking the same thought because he didn't protest or try to grab my hand again.

I tried to shift our attention to something less horrible. "We should keep walking. Are you done eating?"

Peeta nodded and secured his backpack. "Yeah, let's go."

We gathered the rest of our supplies and continued our journey through the woods. We listened for unusual sounds to make sure no one was approaching us, but we also kept up a quiet conversation.

"What do you miss the most about home?" Peeta said to me as we climbed up a small hill.

I sighed and thought for a moment. "The smell of the water." And it was true. Something about being on the beach and breathing in the salty air was so comforting to me. It made me feel alive, being in that water with Peeta. It reminded me of my father, but not enough to make me run away from the memories. They were good memories, like when he taught me how to swim and the first time he let me use his trident. The beach, especially the very first few months after his death, brought me to life on the days when I thought I would die.

Peeta nodded and said, "I miss that too. But mostly, I miss riding the waves to the shore." I had to smile at the memory. Peeta and I had made a little game out of it. We would wait for a big wave and then we would throw our body into it. It would drive us to shore quickly and the rush of adrenaline it gave us was addicting. The first person to the shore would win and the loser would have to gut the fish we caught for the day.

"I'd give anything to go home." I said in a quiet, pathetic voice.

Peeta gave me a soft smile and said confidently. "You will."

I opened my mouth to tell him that we had to talk about that. We had to talk about the fact that neither of us would let the other die. We had to make a choice. And it wouldn't be easy and it wouldn't be enjoyable but we had to do it. And so I began with "Peeta, listen..."

But then his hand went to my stomach to stop me from walking any further. I slammed into his hand and whipped my head towards him, puzzled. He looked back at me with fear in his eyes and then nudged his head towards the left. I looked over and saw what had him so frightened. Standing less than ten feet from us was a huge, capitol-enhanced grizzly bear. Shining eyes and a drooling mouth, the bear growled at us.

* * *

I couldn't focus on anything. The trees were blurry above me, the ground was shaking below me. My throat was so dry, I felt as if I had shoved a handful of sand into my mouth. I could hardly stand as I made my way through the woods. I had no idea what time it was. I had woken up hours ago to the scorching sun and walked about the woods as best as I could. I often fell to the ground and sometimes, it took me twenty minutes to just stand up again.

I was reaching what appeared to be a slope of some kind when I heard it. The sound of twigs snapping underneath the weight of someones feet. Somebody was here. I whipped around and sloppily tried to get my sling-shot ready. When I glanced up, I saw an arrow ready to be released pointed at my heart. I looked up at the face of the tribute.

"Madge." Gale said gently as he lowered his bow and the arrow fell to the ground. His eyes stayed fixed on mine. I still had my sling-shot aimed at him and he had definitely noticed. He glanced at my weapon and said, "If you're going to attempt to shoot me, I'd rather you just do it now so I can move on and go eat some lunch. I'm starving." He gave me the hint of a smirk.

Although my head was pounding, I still managed to narrow my eyes at him. The implication that I wouldn't be able to hurt him had the desired effect he was going for; I was angry. He was so sure I wouldn't be able to kill him, wasn't he? "Maybe I should shoot you." I snapped back. "I definitely wouldn't miss your sunny personality." The sun broke through a small cloud and seemed to be aimed directly at me. I tried to breathe in and out to keep myself from passing out in front of Gale.

Gale walked towards me and I dropped my sling-shot. It was no use, anyways. He was right. I wouldn't be able to kill him. Even if I wasn't dying of thirst. I was never a match for Gale Hawthorne. He stood less than five feet from me as he studied my pale face. "You don't look too good, Madge."

"I'm fine." I said through gritted teeth. But I wasn't fine. And I needed help. And so before I could stop myself, the words left my lips. "Look, Gale, clearly we can't kill each other. So if we can't kill each other, we might as well work together. After all, two is better than one." My ears began to plug and my vision started to fade to black, as if I was watching TV. Gale said something back in response but I couldn't hear him. I couldn't hear anything. All I could register was the feeling of my head slamming into the ground.

I awoke to the feeling of moisture on my lips. I slowly opened my eyes and saw a figure standing above me, holding a bottle of water above me. As my eyes came into focus, I saw that it was Gale. Once he saw that I was waking up, he shoved the water into my hands and stepped away from me. Slowly, I sat up, despite my still pounding head. I leaned against a tree and took a few sips of water before I could form words.

"What... happened?" I asked hoarsely.

Gale shrugged. "You asked me to form an alliance with you and then you just collapsed."

"Oh... alright." I said.

He laughed and then handed me some sort of cooked meat. I studied it for a long moment and heard Gale sigh loudly. I glanced up at him and he said, "It's squirrel, princess. Just eat it."

"Just making sure you didn't poison it, is all." I retorted. I ate little bites but mostly, I drank. Slowly at first, to keep myself from getting sick. Nothing had ever tasted so refreshing in all of my life. "Thank you." I said.

Gale shrugged his shoulders again and took a bite of the squirrel. He looked at me for a moment and then said, "I see you have no supplies."

"Yeah...well, that would be correct." I said quietly as my cheeks burned with embarrassment.

Gale pulled a large pack from his back and emptied it out in front of me. Besides his bow and arrow, he also had tons of other supplies. Food, rope, knifes, a blanket, socks, and much more. I stared at everything in disbelief. How did he get all of this? How many tributes did he have to kill? Gale smiled proudly when he saw my shocked expression. "Impressed yet, princess?"

"Never." I said as I bit my lip to keep the stupid smile from appearing on my face. I took another long sip of water and sighed in relief as I swallowed.

"How long have you gone without water?" He asked.

"Since the games started yesterday morning." I said simply.

Gale stared at the bottle in his own hands for a moment and then looked back up at me. "There's this drinking game I've seen Haymitch play before. It's called 'I never' and it's been around for centuries. We could play it now with water. Just to pass some time."

"Well, all other joys in my life are gone so why not?" I said.

"So, it goes like this. I say something such as, I never kissed a guy. If you _have_ kissed a guy, you take a drink. Simple as that."

"I _haven't _kissed a guy." I said quietly.

Gale nodded. "Then you don't take a drink. Now your turn."

I sighed and thought about it for a moment. "I never kissed a girl."

Gale smirked and took a long sip. I rolled my eyes because of course Gale had kissed a girl. He had probably kissed many girls. He didn't have any friends but that didn't make him any less attractive to the many ladies of District 12. Girls still flocked to the mysterious seam boy. Gale ran his finger over the top of his water bottle. "I never have been in love."

My water bottle stayed firmly in my lap. Love. What even was love? I wasn't sure. I knew I saw pieces of it in my own house. Like when my father would hold my mother's hand when she got sick. Or when he would kiss her cheek gently just before they went to sleep. But in my own life, I had no idea what love was or how to obtain it or if I even wanted to.

"I never" I began, "got in trouble at school."

Gale rolled his eyes and took a drink. "I never wore a dress."

I laughed as I took a sip. I licked my lips and said, "I never acted like an arrogant jerk to hide the emotional baggage I carry around with me."

He stared at me for a long moment before the water touched his lips. He took a short sip before he place it back in his lap. "I never think about the night." He said quietly as his eyes stayed locked on mine. "The night you saved my life."

We stayed quiet for a long moment, staring at each other. He was testing me. He knew I thought about that night. Every second of every day. He knew it ate me alive, the fact that I never got acknowledged for it. With a sigh, I took a sip. And then, to my surprise, he took a sip as well. So, he thought about that night as well.

"Why did you throw me that sling-shot, Gale?" I asked quietly.

I saw him swallow and his eyes fell to the ground. "It just... it felt right."

"Is it because you feel like you owe me?" I asked, not even daring to look up at him.

"Oddly enough, it had nothing to do with owing you, Madge." And at that, our eyes found each other once more. And the silence that filled the air hung between us as I tried to figure out what to make of Gale Hawthorne.

But I didn't get a chance to figure him out. Because just then, a tree ten feet behind us collapsed to the ground and caught on fire. We jumped to our feet just as the flames spread through the forest around us. And as Gale hiked his pack over his shoulder and reached for my hand, we ran away from the flames as fast as humanly possible. We fought our way through thick smoke and felt the heat of the fire on the back of our legs. Just as I thought maybe we could do this, maybe we could outrun the flames, Gale tripped on a branch. I came tumbling down to the ground with him but was up on my feet again quickly. Gale tried to stand up but his foot was caught in a tangle of vines.

And as we tried to free his foot from the ground, the flames reached us and I watched as Gale leg ignited on fire.

* * *

"RUN!" Peeta screamed as he yanked my hand and we sprinted in the opposite direction as the bear.

I didn't even have time to tell him that it was a horrible idea to run away. Clearly, the bear would chase us. Especially since it was enhanced by the capitol. It would run faster than a normal grizzly bear, it would bite harder, and it wouldn't stop until we were dead. I didn't look behind us as we raced through the woods but I could hear the bear behind us, growling and thirsty for our blood.

But we ran anyways. I knew any attempts at hurting the bear would be futile and just make it more angry. If I had my trident, I could attack it. But all I had was a few knifes. I glanced behind us to see the bear gaining speed. We had a head start but now the bear had caught up with us.

I felt the it's breath hot on my back and knew in a matter of moments, it would have us killed. But then, a few yards away, I spotted a tree branch. I knew we could swing up onto it. I didn't know much about grizzly bears but I knew they weren't the best tree climbers. "Branch, Peeta!" I yelled and he nodded. There would be a split second where our bodies would be suspended from the branch and the bear could easily rip our bodies away from it and tear us to shreds. We needed to work fast.

Just then, a cannon fired from somewhere else in the arena and for a second, the bear seemed distracted and turned around at the sound of the noise. It was just enough time for Peeta and I to swing onto the branch and begin to climb up the tree. We had climbed trees on the beach before but I had always been a far better climber than Peeta. I helped him up the branches and when I glanced down, the bear had climbed the tree to about ten feet. It growled up at us, but didn't continue it's climb.

We sat on a branch about fifteen feet above the bear. Breathing hard and shaking, we looked over at each other and without saying a word, we knew what was happening. The Capitol had targeted that bear directly at us on purpose. Just like they had put the trident in the cornucopia so I would end up dead, they were hoping this bear would kill us as well. We were a threat. And they wouldn't let either of us make it out of this arena alive.

I yanked out some fish I had saved from earlier in the day and threw it down to the bear. Because it couldn't reach us and it was starving, it climbed back down the tree and to the fish. It ate it hungrily. I finally got a chance to look at the bear. It must've weighed over three-hundred pounds. It's dark brown fur was mangled and covered with dirt and blood. After it finished eating, it walked away from us. We were in the clear. I looked back over at Peeta and he smirked. "Still alive."

I nodded and repeated the words again, the ones he had said to me after the blood-bath. "Still alive. Peeta, that bear... it had been enhanced by the Capitol."

He looked confused. "How do you know that?"

I swallowed hard and revealed the piece of information I had been keeping to myself. "Because it's eyes, they... they were the exact color as yours."

Once again, the Capitol had gone out of their way to make something completely targeted at us. Targeted at _me_. The eyes on the bear were meant to tease me, taunt me. Make a fool of me. And they were trying. They were trying so damn hard to kill us. What kind of effect had Peeta's words had? Was it really that big of a deal? They must've been scared to death by us if they were going so out of their way to get us killed.

Peeta didn't seem phased by this, however. He only nodded in response. Then, he changed the subject entirely. "I wonder whose canon that was."

"We'll find out soon enough." I said and just as the words left my lips, the anthem was playing and we glanced up into the sky.

And then there was the picture of the girl from district nine. I wondered who had done it, who had killed her. It was probably the careers. Or maybe that boy from twelve. His name was on the tip of my tongue but I couldn't seem to remember. I guess it didn't matter who had killed her because she was dead now. And she was never coming back. A family was grieving her back home, a boyfriend was throwing things across the room. And to us, she was just a picture in the sky, another tribute gone, a higher chance of winning. This was all so twisted.

"We're probably more safe up here than anywhere on the ground." Peeta whispered to me and I was pulled out my train of thought. I nodded at him and dug out our sleeping bags. We went down a few branches to a thick one that would be able to support us both. Once we were settled in and the exhaustion of the day began to take over, I let myself drift off to sleep. But it wasn't long before I heard muffled speaking. Opening my eyes slowly and glancing down, I saw a torch glowing in the dark night. And below that torch was the careers.

* * *

_A/N: Crazy chapter, eh? Let me know what you thought of it and let's see if we can get me over a hundred reviews! You guys are amazing and I read EVERY single review and they make me smile and keep writing. You are all so kind and I love your predictions and your questions. Tell me your thoughts of this chapter! Next chapter, we will deal with the careers, the trusty trident will show up somewhere and in someones hands, and deal with the fire. REVIEW AWAY and Happy Hunger Games!_


	9. Chapter 9

The heat of the flames, the feel of the smoke burying deep into my lungs, the darkening night. All of these things made freeing Gale from the vine nearly impossible. His backpack laid on the ground beside him and I hit him in the leg with it over and over again until the flames diminished. The wall of fire was closing in on us now. It wouldn't be long before it suffocated us. I worked at the vine with my burnt and throbbing fingers but it wouldn't let up. It almost seemed unnatural.

"Just go!" Gale screamed. "Please, Madge! Just go and save yourself!"

I narrowed my eyes at him and shook my head quickly. "NO!" I yelled. "I'm not just going to leave you here to die, Gale!" Finally, a thought occurred to me. I had Gale's knifes!I yanked out one of them and hacked away at the vine as quickly as possible. Finally, I had freed him. I helped him to his feet and we ran through the forest and away from the fire. Gale was limping and crying out in pain with every step he made on his burnt leg but there was no time to worry about that. This was life or death. We threw ourselves through the forest with every ounce of fight we had in us. My face, my hands, my back, my stomach all had burns that throbbed and ached and felt like death its self but I kept going, knowing that Gale's pain was ten times worse and yet, he was still fighting through it.

At one point, I noticed the fire was no longer chasing after us. I looked up to see it form a wall and knew instantly the game makers had stopped this terror, at least for now. But the smoke still lingered in the air and when we both collapsed to the ground, we hurled up whatever food we had ate during the day. Trembling and burning, we laid there on the forest floor for what seemed like an eternity. Gale grunted in pain and I knew, without even looking at it, that Gale's ankle was in bad shape.

I finally got enough energy to sit up and crawl over to Gale, who had his hands over his eyes, which were shut tight in pain. Slowly, I let my own eyes drift down to his leg. The burn seemed to only be on his lower ankle but I had to bite my lip to keep myself from gasping out loud. I was by no means an expert on burns, but this was definitely a third degree burn. And a nasty one at that.

He was burnt down to the bone in one area. The rest of the ankle was an array of nasty colors, including a charred black color that scared me to even look at. I didn't know what to do or where to start. I took the knife and cut away the fabric from around his leg, but didn't pull off the material that clung to the burn because I had heard somewhere that was the worst thing you could do. I stuck the backpack under his ankle to elevate it and then using my watter bottle, I moistened the edge of the blanket and held in gently over the burn. This made Gale cry out in pain and my heart twisted.

"I'm sorry, this is what you're supposed to do for the burn." I whispered to him as I brushed back the sweaty hairs from his forehead. I was on the verge of crying because I didn't really know what I was doing and I hated to see him in pain.

"Did we miss the anthem?" Gale whispered to me through gritted teeth.

I looked up at the dark sky and figured that we probably had missed it. It must've went off while we were practically burning to death. This annoyed me because we had no idea who was still alive and who was dead. A sharp wind blew and although it felt soothing on my burns, it was still freezing and had the rest of me shivering. Gale was shivering as well and as I helped him scoot over to a tree to rest on, he removed the blanket from his bad ankle so he could cover up with it. He tossed me half and I slipped underneath quickly, pulling my body into myself tightly to keep away the cold. Gale kept his ankle out in the night air and it seemed to be providing some relief because he kept sighing whenever the wind blew. Gale looked over at me and saw I was still shivering and I heard him mutter something under his breath.

"Madge, just come here. It will keep us both warmer." He held his arms out to me and hesitantly, I slipped into them. I laid my head against his chest and wrapped my arms around his waist. His arms covered my shoulders and I felt his chin on the top of my head. This was the first time I had ever really touched Gale and surprisingly, he was warm. So warm. I felt his quickly beating heart against my ear and for whatever reason, it was such a wonderful sensation. I closed my eyes and tried to relax against him, although the entire situation had an air of awkwardness to it. Not only was it the first time I had touched Gale, it was the first time I had touched any guy.

"Distract me." Gale said quickly, his voice filled with pain. "Please, talk about something. Anything. I need a distraction."

I nodded my head into his chest and thought of the first thing that came to my mind. "The first time I rode a bike with no training wheels, I crashed it into my neighbors front door so hard that the wheel ended up lodged in the wood and I was pulling splinters out of my body for weeks. I was six at the time and I'll never forget the look on my neighbors face when she opened the door and saw the bike stuck in it."

Gale scoffed. "I could never afford a bike and you went and crashed it on the first day."

"I was six, give me a break." I said back playfully.

I heard him let out a strangled laugh. "I'll try to be more empathetic, sorry."

"The terrain was terribly rocky. It wasn't my fault really." I said quietly.

"Sure it wasn't." He replied.

I smiled into him, despite myself. "You're a real charmer when you're in pain. Actually, you act like this when you're completely fine as well so don't try to throw me an excuse."

A gust of fierce wind blew and his hands pulled tighter around my shoulders and I buried my face into the fabric of his shirt. It was so impossibly cold and he was so impossibly warm that I couldn't even dream of ever letting him go.

"You don't know what it was like for me." He said quietly. "You don't know anything, Madge. And you can't even possibly imagine. You've always had everything. So please forgive me for not always being the poster child for sunshine."

I sighed. "You act like my life is perfect, Gale. I may not know your story but you don't know mine either."

"I know you're a horrible bike rider." He said quietly and although our conversation was getting intense, I couldn't help but laugh. And eventually, I could feel Gale laughing as well.

"I could have, you know." I said once I had calmed down.

"Could have what?"

"Known your story. If you had given me the chance. I wanted- I wanted to be your friend, Gale." I stammered out. Something about being this close to Gale and it being night and the fact that our chance of survival was diminishing made me quite vulnerable and not afraid to let words slip past my lips with ease.

"I'm not good at being a friend."

"You don't know that. You've never been one." I said back quietly.

"You can really picture it, Madge? The dirty seam boy and the shiny Mayor's Daughter? The best of friends?"

I shrugged into him. "Those are just labels. The seam, the town, dirty or clean, none of those things really define who we are. We could be friends. Despite it all, we could." I said.

He didn't say anything for a long, long time. I was beginning to think he had fallen asleep. And then, out of nowhere, his hand began to play with my hair. It felt so soothing and simple. When he did speak, his voice was softer than a whisper and close to my ear, close enough that no cameras could pick it up. He said, "I bet you make one hell of a friend, Madge."

And suddenly, a rush of warmth spread through my cheeks and I wasn't so cold anymore.

* * *

I awoke Peeta as gently and quietly as possible. He started to say something as he opened his eyes but I clamped my hand over his mouth and pointed below us. He looked down and then nodded his head. He saw them. My hand slipped away and we tried our best not to make a single sound. The light of one of the torches shifted and I saw something in Glimmer's hand that almost made me fall out of the tree.

It was my trident!

"Where do you think four could be?" She asked Cato.

I saw him shrug. "We've looked everywhere. They can't be far from here. And don't forget about twelve. I want to take out that idiot who managed to score a ten."

"Clearly, he's not an idiot then, Cato." Glimmer said.

"Shut up!" He snapped. "We need to split up. Glimmer and Marvel, go left. Me and Clove will go right. We will meet back up at the lake tomorrow night."

"I hope I find four. Who does the girl think she is, scoring an 11 like that?"

Cato laughed. "I will find her. And kill her faster than that girl from nine. Or possibly slower, for that'd be more enjoyable for me."

Clove laughed and together, they went right. Glimmer and Marvel got up and went left. Peeta and I waited a good half hour before we finally allowed ourselves to speak.

"She has my trident!" I said to him in a harsh whisper.

"And we will get it back. We know which way she's going now too. In the morning, we will head left." He said simply.

"They'll be hours ahead of us, Peeta."

"They have to stop to sleep sometime. Also, they'll head back to the lake tomorrow evening and we can catch them on their way there if we don't run into them tomorrow during the day."

"I can't take her down! I have no weapons!" I said frantically.

He sighed. "Well, good thing we won't run into them for a while then. We need time to think of a plan."

I leaned my head against the back of the base of the tree. "How are we going to do this, Peeta?" I asked, the exhaustion evident in my voice.

"I just said, we will come up with a plan and-"

"No." I stopped him. My eyes caught hold of his own. "How are we going to decide which one of us wins and which one dies? We can't keep... we can't ignore it forever."

His face immediately went pale, the fear taking over completely. We had to decide right then because the longer we waited, the harder it would become. It wasn't just some insane idea now, not some side comment. It was real and it was happening. One of us was winning this thing, no matter how many capitol created horrors we would have to overcome, no matter how many tributes we had to fight to the death, one of us was leaving this arena. The Capitol had taken everything from us and I swore on everything in my life, one of us would survive despite it all.

Peeta swallowed hard and let out a shaky breath. "There's no discussion needed. I would never let you die for me."

"Let's think practical for a moment." I said as I found his hand and grabbed it. "You saved my life once before. With the jellyfish. It's only fair I save you."

He shook his head. "You weren't dying, Katniss. It was just a sting. Plus, you saved my life by becoming my best friend. I was just a stupid kid before I met you. You made me... you made me a better person. Please, let it be you who wins. Please. You deserve it."

No I didn't. I didn't deserve anything. Peeta was good. He was pure and simple and warm and just plain good. Nobody could deny that about him. Nobody could deny that he treated me far better than I deserved. He was Peeta Mellark. People would benefit from him being alive. He would be a good victor. He would make people proud.

I, on the other hand, would be a horrid victor. I would miss Peeta so terribly for the rest of my life. I would drown out the entire world with liquor probably, like the victor from twelve. Or maybe I would just lock myself in my room and never come out. I would be a dreadful mentor to other tributes, helping them as little as possible and ignoring them as much as possible. Nobody would benefit from my life extending past the arena. I wasn't the type of victor four wanted to have.

"I don't deserve anything, Peeta." And I wasn't sad when I said it. It was just a fact. All the good in my life, I didn't deserve it. Especially not a friend like him.

He shook his head, his eyes filling with tears. "I don't wanna live without you."

"And I don't want to live without _you_. But you can do something I can't, Peeta. You can move on from it. You can find the good in life again. I don't have that talent. I'll never be okay again."

He stared at me for a long moment and I fought back the tears that were starting to fall. I was still holding his hand with every ounce of life left in me. He closed his eyes for a a few minutes. When he opened them he said quietly, "How about I agree to consider it. Because up until this point, I've refused to even do that much."

I nodded my head quickly. "Yeah, sure. That's good."

He was still staring at me and I couldn't read his expression. He licked his lips and said, "But will you let me do something if I agree to think about it?"

I narrowed my eyes. "What?" I asked confused.

He squeezed my hand. "Will you let me kiss you? Just once. Just...because I've always wondered what it would be like. And if you're ganna possibly die for me... I want to know."

My hand slipped away from his quickly. Kiss me? Why would he want to do that? Peeta and I were best friends. We couldn't possibly be more than that. I had never even considered it because it always seemed like such a unreal possibility. Peeta was far too good for me and I had always known that. Plus, I didn't even want to get married. I refused to raise children in this world. Not with the chance of their names being drawn.

"Why would you want to do that?" I asked quietly.

He gave me a nervous smile. I had never seen Peeta nervous around me before. "Why wouldn't I? It's my wish, Katniss."

Well, he was right about that. I had to give him what he wanted. Because he had chosen to consider the harder route, which was living while the other one of us died. I owed him. If he wanted a kiss, I had to give him one.

"Fine." I said quickly.

He smiled softly at me. "Fine."

And then without any further warning, he leaned into me. His lips found mine and pressed into them softly. His hands cupped my face gently, as if I was made of glass. His lips were soft and warm. And the sensation made my stomach stir in an unfamiliar way. I had never kissed a boy before but if they all felt like honey on my lips, I wouldn't mind doing this more often. Just as my hands went to pull him closer to me, we heard a crash on the branch above us. We both pulled away, startled. I glanced up and almost screamed with joy. It was a sponsor gift!

I grabbed the parachute and eagerly opened it. "It better be a weapon." I said as I tore through the box. Inside was a small white jar. Disappointed, I handed it to Peeta so he could figure out what it was. He twisted off the lid and inside was a white paste of some kind. He put some on a few cuts and we watched together as they began to fade away almost instantly.

"Healing medicine." He said. "I wonder if it works on any kind of pain." He spread some on his ankle, which had been bothering him all morning. "Katniss, the pain is completely gone." He said a moment later.

I nodded. "Okay, but we don't really have any injuries yet. Why would he give us this now?" I asked.

Peeta shrugged. "Because we have to fight the careers with practically no weapons and are bound to get injured, maybe? I don't know."

I placed the medicine in my pack and snuggled into the tree. We needed to try to sleep again before morning came but my mind was all tangled up. Why had the medicine came right when Peeta had kissed me? Was Finnick sending me some kind of message? And it didn't seem right that he would send us healing medicine when we had no injuries. What did it all mean? And about that kiss...

I sighed. There was no time trying to decipher it, no time to figure out what it meant or why it made me feel so warm. The most important task at hand was getting some sleep and thinking of a way to kill Marvel and Glimmer and getting my trident back.

I leaned my head on Peeta's shoulder and pushed away all my troubles away for a few hours so I could get some sleep finally. I closed my eyes and drifted away.

* * *

When I awoke in the morning, I was still tangled in Gale's arms lazily. My head rested against his chest and his arms had fell to my waist. I slipped away and pulled my unruly hair back into a tight ponytail. I washed my face off with some water and picked some berries for breakfast. Gale would be in no position to hunt so I was left to food duty. And all I had to show for it was some stupid berries. I went around and found some edible plants as well because I was so ashamed of the lack of food I had to offer him. When I came back to our spot by the tree, Gale was awake and sweating.

"Hey, have some berries." I said gently, handing them over to him.

He ate some mindlessly but he kept shutting his eyes in pain. Gale had a small first aid kit in his pack and I pulled out the gauze to wrap his burn after I poured some cool water over it. He was trying his hardest not to cry out but I could tell he was seriously hurt. I wondered how long we had before the untreated burn began to cause an infection.

"We've got to keep moving, Madge." Gale said through his gritted teeth.

I laughed. "You couldn't move if you tried."

Gale stood to his feet and hesitantly put weight on his bad ankle. His face drained of color and he immediately lifted it back up into the air. "I'll just need a walking stick or something."

I sighed and dug around for a large stick of some kind. I found one tall enough for Gale and handed it to him. It took some practice but he was able to hop around with it, all the while keeping weight off his ankle.

Ever so slowly, we traveled through the woods. Gale tried to act tough and go faster than he was capable of but that charade ended when he bent over and puked his guts out. After that, he seemed alright with keeping a slow and steady pace. I made him stop to drink water every fifteen minutes and although the morning was just beginning and the air was still a little cool, Gale was sweating from the heat of his burn.

After traveling all morning, I forced him to sit down. I unwrapped his ankle and poured more cool water over it. Gale started to laugh and I looked up at him confused. "What?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Nothing. Just weird how you're always helping me, saving me."

"I just don't like to see people in pain." I said simply without meeting his eyes.

Then, we heard someone crashing through the woods towards us. I grabbed Gale and yanked him over to a boulder that would block us from their view. We hid behind it but from my position, I was still able to see who it was. The tributes from District One.

Glimmer and Marvel were talking quietly about something. They looked exhausted, however, and something told me they hadn't slept in a long time. They walked past and stopped to rest about twenty feet ahead of us. They hid behind some other boulders and Marvel said he would take the first watch. We waited quietly for about a half hour and then Marvel fell asleep as well. The exhaustion must've taken over.

I turned to Gale. "They're asleep. What's our next move?"

Gale pulled out his bow and said. "We shoot her first. Steal the trident. Marvel will wake up then, most likely. You pretend to know how to use the trident to distract him and I'll send an arrow through his heart."

I whipped my head around to face him. "What? How do I pretend to use a trident? What if he attacks me?"

Gale rolled his eyes. "I obviously will stop him if he tires to attack you, princess. And I would hope you wouldn't just stand there like an idiot. Use your sling-shot or something."

I closed my eyes for a moment. "I can't do this."

"You wanted to be my ally, Madge. Now stop being scared and face reality." He snapped at me.

I swallowed and let myself feel the fear for five seconds before I pushed it away, like Cinna had taught me. I turned to Gale and said, "Okay. Let's do this."

He gave me a soft smile. "Okay." Gale and I stood up together and when he pushed his walking stick out of the way and went without it, I grabbed his arm. He turned to face me and shook his head. "It will just get in the way. I'll be fine for now."

I nodded hesitatingly. It seemed like a bad idea but he was right, it would just end up in the way. We approached them slowly and from behind. Gale loaded his bow and carefully aimed it at Glimmer's neck. He went to release it but then something happened. Marvel woke up suddenly and started screaming at the sight of us. This caught Gale by surprise and he sent the arrow flying into her side instead of her neck.

Glimmer's cry was more of a shriek and she yanked out the arrow quickly and pressed her hands to the bleeding wound. Marvel had spotted Gale before he had spotted me. He aimed his spear and threw it in his direction. Gale was ready for it and dodged out of the way. He turned around to retrieve the spear but it had been thrown too far into the forest. Gale knew he didn't have the time to get it. Marvel lunged towards Gale without a weapon. Gale was able to get in the first punch but then Marvel kicked him so hard in the gut that Gale fell to the ground, unable to breathe. It was then that he punched Gale in the face.

I ran towards them, unable to watch another second of this. I had no plan. Gale's plan had gone wrong and I hadn't thought to come up with a backup. With nervous and trembling hands, I loaded up my sling-shot. Just as I was getting ready to fire, Marvel finally noticed me. He dropped Gale to the ground, who was near unconsciousness at that point, and began to race towards me. And although the fear was suffocating me, although I was completely certain I had lost my ability to breathe, I pulled the sling-shot back and released a large stone that went hurling towards Marvel. He was faster than he appeared and was able to move quick enough so the stone hit his shoulder instead of his head. Nonetheless, he fell to the ground in pain and I was left as the only one standing. I glanced back at Gale and noticed he was mouthing something to me. I didn't understand what he was saying so I shook my head at him, signaling my confusion.

"Get the trident!" He finally was able to say. Oh, yeah. The trident! I raced towards Glimmer who was laying in a pool of her blood, trying to stop the bleeding. The trident was laying next to her, unguarded. I grabbed it quickly before she could react. Her eyes found mine and I knew she was expecting me to kill her. There she was, bleeding and weak and I had not just one but two weapons in my possession. The timing was perfect. Everything was perfect. So what was stopping me?

"Do it." She said through gritted teeth. She was breathing hard and trying not to cry out from pain.

I shook my head ever so slightly at her. "If I could, I would." I whispered to her before I ran back over to Gale's side. He was finally able to stand back up but so was Marvel. However, they were both injured and nobody had a weapon on them except for me. Gale's bow and arrow was lying where we had carelessly left it back when we shot Glimmer. Marvel had caught us both by surprise when he had woken up.

I threw the trident to Gale and he caught in his hands. Marvel's eyes widened because he no longer had a weapon. And because he knew the chances of surviving this fight were less than probable now, he ran. He sprinted off into the forest, leaving his spear somewhere deep in the forest and his district partner bleeding and dying. Gale let him go because he was still too weak to get in a clear shot with the trident, a weapon he wasn't even used to. Gale and I stared at each other, unsure of what to do next. His eyes found Glimmer and I spoke before he had a chance to.

"Just leave her, Gale. She... she's not a threat anymore. Don't kill her."

"As long as her heart is beating, she is still a threat." He started walking towards her but I yanked him back.

"Don't." I said, finding his eyes and locking them with my own. His hard expression slowly faded into something resembling confusion and then finally, a soft look of understanding.

"You feel bad for her." He said simply.

"I just... I'm not ready to kill. Not just yet. I need more time, Gale." It felt so weird saying this to Gale. He had no problem killing the other tributes. But when I saw Glimmer laying there half alive, I just couldn't do it. I couldn't take what little life she had left away from her. It wasn't fair. I may have been in the games but that didn't mean I had to turn into a murderer. Not unless Gale's life or my very own life was on the line. Because I hadn't seen a problem with trying to kill Marvel when he was headed towards me.

He nodded slowly and slumped to the ground. I followed suit and sat next to him. His nose was bleeding from the fight but other than that and some scratches and bruises, he was unharmed. He complained only of his ankle, though. And when I glanced at it and saw how much worse it looked, I knew infection was coming.

"We really need to get you some medicine for that." I said loudly, hoping Haymitch would get the message and send us some help. But we were only meant with silence and the sinking realization that although we were still alive, our days were numbered.

* * *

_A/N: Okay so, I am not used to writing fight scenes. I am seriously stretching my ability as a writer by even writing an action/suspense story such as this one. So, I hope they are interesting and easy to follow scenes! So, Katniss and Peeta kissed! What do you all think of that? And Glimmer had the trident, like most of you guessed! But now Gale does. But Peeta and Katniss are still under the impression that Glimmer has it and are going to go searching for her. Oh, what do you guys think is up with the medicine Finn sent them? Let me know what you liked about the chapter or didn't like and anymore predictions you have! I don't want to give anything away so if you ask certain questions, I sometimes ignore them on purpose. I just don't want to ruin the story for ya'll! PLEASE review and thanks for the amazing reviews so far! You guys rock my socks off!_

_P.S- Hold your horses. Rue will make her appearance. Also, sorry for abusing the use of exclamation point in this Authors Note. I just need a way to express my adoration for you all!_


	10. Chapter 10

We had been on the move all morning and afternoon. And on very little sleep. The exhaustion was getting to the both of us. It was probably near six in the evening. I was snapping at Peeta and he was getting irritated with me as well. We were just so tired and hot and hungry and terrified. There had been so sign of Marvel and Glimmer yet but we figured if we didn't find them during the day, we would head towards the lake and catch them on their way there. I had been desperately hoping we would come across a weapon before then because there was no way I going into a fight with Glimmer and Marvel without a weapon.

"Should we stop and eat?" Peeta asked.

I shook my head. "We gotta keep going! We'll eat soon but not now."

He sighed. "Katniss,"

"NO! We aren't stopping!" I yelled. Why were we even fighting? I was going to die in a weeks time and I wanted to spend what little time I had left on earth with Peeta, curled under the stars, falling asleep to the rhythm of each others heartbeats. Of course, that wasn't very practical when there was tributes to kill. But I didn't want to spend our time fighting.

He grabbed my hand and turned me towards him. His eyes were soft and understanding when he said quietly, "If we don't stop soon, we are both going to explode to each other and that's the last thing we need right now. So, please, let's just rest and eat for a few minutes, okay?"

I closed my eyes for a moment and nodded my head. Once again, Peeta was the voice of reason between us. "Alright. I'll go hunt something."

And I walked away from Peeta and deeper into the woods. But then he called to me and I whipped around to face him.

"Take your pack." He said before tossing me my backpack. I took another step forward but then, suddenly, the ground beneath me collapsed. I screamed as I was pulled to the ground and then something fell on top of me, surrounding me and yanking me upwards. I felt a searing pain in my shoulder that had me crying out in pain.

"Katniss! Katniss!" I heard Peeta yell from down on the ground. It took me a long moment to register what had happened. I had stepped on a trap and was now caught in a net, high in a tree. I looked down at him through the holes in the net. "You alright?" He asked me.

"Yeah, just my shoulder." I said quietly before touching it gently. I winced in pain and my hand came back bloody.

"I'm going to climb the tree and then cut you free, alright?" Peeta called up to me. I nodded my head and tried to concentrate on something other than the pain.

I heard him begin to climb the tree and I craned my neck around to watch him. There was a branch about five feet directly under me than he slowly but steadily climbed on to. He walked across it with his hands out, trying to keep his balance. He was ten feet in the air, while I was fifteen. When he was directly under then net, he began to cut a hole in it. He alternated between cutting it and ripping it with his hands. Once he had a hole big enough for me to crawl out of, he held his hands out to me.

"If you try to hold me, we will both fall out of this tree." I said simply.

Peeta rolled his eyes. "Give me some credit, Katnsis. I can manage your weight. I lift barrels of fish everyday."

I sighed and using my good arm, I squeezed through the hole and into Peeta's arms. It was a shaky maneuver and he almost lost his balance a few times but eventually, he was able to carry me down the tree and back to the safety of the ground. I slumped against the bottom of the tree while Peeta wiped away the blood so he could apply the medicine.

"I bet it was Marvel and Glimmers trap." I said to him.

"How do you know?" He asked as he cleaned my wound with water.

"Well, we know they went this way, for starters. But something went wrong because they'd only set a trap like this if they were ganna be near by so they could kill whoever it trapped."

Peeta nodded. "They must've ran into trouble if they left, then."

"But who is even capable of taking on the careers? And nobody died because there haven't been any canons."

"I don't know. But we're going to find out." Peeta said to me with a smile before he spread the medicine onto my shoulder. I sighed in relief. It was like the pain was being pulled directly out of my body. His hand continued to rub my shoulder, his thumb spreading the medicine around. His eyes found mine and I realized how completely devastated he looked.

"What?" I asked quietly.

His hand stayed on my shoulder, although the medicine was definitely rubbed in at that point. Then he spoke, "I'm just trying to imagine my life without you."

I closed my eyes and my hand caught a hold of the arm that was on my shoulder. "Don't."

"I just don't think I can do it, Katniss. I know I promised you I would think about it and I have been. But..."

"But nothing." I said harshly. "Don't decide yet. Don't dwell on it yet. There's still time, alright?"

He wanted to say more. I could tell by the way his mouth hung open. But he nodded his head slowly and didn't say anything else besides, "Alright."

"Good." I said before I took a deep, shaky breath. "Now let me get back to hunting."

His hand fell away from my shoulder finally and I stood up searching for something to eat. I was able to catch a squirrel and Peeta gathered some fruit. I cooked the squirrel and we ate our dinner on a log, which reminded me of home. I didn't say as much though. Our conversations were depressing enough without the reminder of the life we left behind. After we ate and began to continue into the woods, I came across a pool of blood. Some of it was dried but some of it was still wet. Whatever had happened in that place, had happened in the last few hours.

"Whoever's blood it is, they are still alive." Peeta noted.

I shrugged. "Could be an animal." But I had a gut feeling that it was definitely human blood. I looked over at Peeta, and he was leaning against a tree, his eyes closed. We hadn't slept since the previous night and even then, we had only gotten a few hours. "Why don't you sleep, Peeta? I'll keep watch."

He shook his head. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not. I'll wake you if anything happens. Get some sleep."

He was too exhausted to argue with me so he pulled out his sleeping bag and laid down next to where I was now sitting. He slipped inside and instantly, fell asleep. Without really thinking, I reached out and pushed the hairs back from his forehead. I stared at the boy who was willing to give his life for me and as my hand continued to play with his hair, I remembered our kiss the previous night. I remembered how warm it was, how steady, how sweet. And I remembered how it made me want another.

"You're an idiot." I whispered to his sleeping body. And then I placed a soft kiss on his forehead.

* * *

I had been gathering some plants when I had heard them. I heard them talking about a trap of some kind, saying it was probably Glimmer and Marvel's. I hid behind a bush so I could watch them without being seen. And when I saw Peeta spread some kind of magic medicine onto Katniss's wound, I knew it was what I needed for Gale. But I didn't know how to go about getting it.

Gale and I had hadn't moved from our place all day. After our fight with Marvel and Glimmer, we traveled a little further in but stayed pretty close to the sight of the fight. Gale seemed to be walking a little better, but that didn't mean infection wasn't coming. I decided to tell him about the medicine to see if he could come up with some sort of plan. I traveled back over to where he laid on the ground. He was drinking water and nibbling on some berries. He said he didn't have much of an appetite, which wasn't a good sign.

"Gale, I found Peeta and Katniss." I said in a hushed whisper. "And they have medicine that could help you."

He looked confused for a moment. "Peeta and Katniss? The tributes from four? The boy who said he would die for the girl?"

I nodded. "Yeah, also known as the girl who scored an eleven. She's more powerful than she looks."

His eyes were narrowed and I could tell he was deep in thought. "District Four, huh? I bet they've been looking for the trident, being from the fishing district and all."

I smiled at this. "Maybe they'll make a trade. Their medicine for our trident."

Gale shook his head and slowly stood up. "I have a better idea." He said with a smile of his own. "What would you say to making some more allies, Madge?"

I laughed. "Why would we do that? Just more people we'll have to kill eventually." I said quietly.

"Think about it. She got an eleven. She's obviously powerful, like you said. They come from a career district but yet, they chose to go their own route. The four of us together could bring nothing but more strength."

I crossed my arms over my chest. It sounded like a bad idea to me. I made an alliance with Gale, yes. But that was because I had no idea how to survive in the woods. Plus, he was my district partner and I had some unexplainable magnetic pull towards him. The tributes from district four, however, I had no connection with. And I couldn't seem to think of a reason why we should. Of course it would make us more powerful but what about after we killed all the other tributes? What then? I didn't need another tribute to worry about when the time came to turn on one another. I had enough trouble trying to decide what would happen if it came down to Gale and I.

"You're not thinking far enough ahead, Gale. It's a bad idea." I said, holding his gaze.

He stared at me for a few minutes before he spoke. Then he said, "Right now, we need to worry about getting the careers. Four against four is a lot better than four against two, Madge. Trust me."

_Trust me._

Did I trust Gale? I wasn't sure. But he was standing there, begging me to. And because he was Gale and I was Madge, I agreed. "Okay. I'll trust you. But don't make me regret it." I said sternly, my arms still crossed tightly over my chest.

He nodded. "I won't." He grabbed his bow and arrow and attached to his back and then handed me the trident. "Now, this is going to take some... convincing. Any two tributes who've made a point to stick together from the very start like this aren't going to want to form any alliances. But I think I can make it happen. You stay back and hidden and until I tell you to come out, alright? I need to deal with her first."

I sighed and wanted to comment on the fact that he always liked to hide me away, as if I was too fragile or stupid to get in the middle of a real fight, but I didn't want to start an argument. And when it came down to it, he knew what he was doing far better than I did.

And just as we began to approach their little camp, Gale turned around and pinned me to the nearest tree. Just like that. Out of nowhere. I was about to ask him what he thought he was doing when his lips crashed into mine. It was a soft and steady kiss, warm and true. He smelled like fire and smoke and home. My stomach was flipping upside down at the feeling of his lips on top of mine. His hand found my chin and lifted it slightly upward into the kiss. When he pulled away a moment later, I couldn't seem to breathe. And more than anything, I wished he hadn't pulled away at all.

"Just in case something goes wrong." He said hoarsely, his eyes locked on mine. "You said you had never been kissed. I can't let you die like that. It would be pathetic." He smirked and jumped away from me.

I understood it then. Why girls flocked to Gale at school, why they giggled and twirled their hair around their finger. I had finally understood the Gale Hawthorne appeal. And I was jealous of every other girl he had ever made feel this way. But this was no time for romance or feelings or flirting. We had a job to do.

We approached their little camp with slow and quiet steps. Peeta was asleep and Katniss was on guard. Gale motioned for me to stay back and I obliged. Gale began to approach Katniss. She turned at the sound of movement and instantly was on her feet, ready to wake Peeta.

Gale held up his hands in defense. "I'm not here to kill you."

Katniss held out knife. "Who are you?" She whispered to him.

"Gale. District Twelve." He kept his hands up in defense. "Me and my district partner Madge want to form an alliance with you and Peeta."

"I don't believe you." She hissed at him, her knife still out and ready to attack if he came near her.

"Look, we would all work much more efficiently together."

Katniss shook her head. "We don't want or need allies."

Gale smirked. "I think you do. We have your trident."

The hard expression on her face was replaced with a puzzled look. Then she let out a sarcastic, short laugh. "Impossible. I know for a fact that Glimmer has the tri-"

"We took it from her. Madge, show her." Gale interrupted before turning his head towards my hiding place. I revealed myself and waved the trident.

Katniss stared at it, her jaw hanging open and her eyes fixed hard on the weapon. She wanted it. She _needed_ it. Suddenly, Peeta awoke behind Katniss. Once he realized what was going on, he jumped to his feet and in front of Katniss to protect her. She sighed and pushed him back. "They want to be our allies, Peeta. And they have my trident."

Peeta glanced from Katniss to Gale to me and then back to Gale. "Why would you want to be our allies? What's in it for you?" His voice wasn't condescending in the way that Katniss's was. He was softer with his words, more gentle.

I spoke up now for the first time. I took one small step forward. "You have medicine that Gale desperately needs. Plus, we would all work better together. We could destroy the careers."

Peeta and Katniss stared at one another, trying to decide what to do. Peeta shrugged and Katniss, who didn't look convinced, glared at us as she spoke. "Fine. But this doesn't mean we trust you."

Gale snorted. "I didn't expect trust. You think we trust_ you_? Dream on."

Katniss rolled her eyes and looked at something on a nearby tree. "If you took the trident from Glimmer, where is she now?"

Gale and I stared at each other. We had all but completely forgotten about Glimmer. Gale raced over to the tree we had left her at, the one Katniss was just staring at a moment ago. His face was pale when he looked up at me. "She's gone... but how?"

I shook my head. "I... I don't know." I stammered. She was dying earlier. Bleeding to death. But of course, we never did hear a canon. How could we be so stupid to let her out of our sight? A thought occurred to me. " Maybe Marvel came back for her."

Katniss shook her head. "It doesn't seem like the careers style to do something like that."

"No, it doesn't. Glimmer must've gotten up. Maybe someone sent her medicine in the same way they sent you two medicine." Gale said to Katniss and Peeta.

"Probably." I said. "They couldn't let District Twelve show them up." I sighed and looked over at Katniss. "Oh, this is for you." I handed her the trident, which she took eagerly.

Peeta pulled out the medicine and I took it from his hands. I had Gale sit down so I could rub it in on his ankle. We both watched amazed as the skin returned to a normal color and the burn practically disappeared all together.

"Haven't you heard?" Katniss said, bringing our attention back up to her. "Water always put out fire." She smirked and I couldn't help it when a small smile played on my lips as well.

* * *

We gathered all our supplies together and spoke of all we knew. There was thirteen tributes left, including the four of us. Madge and Gale had stabbed Glimmer with an arrow and scared off Marvel but neither of them were dead and Glimmer was missing. The careers were meeting at the lake in a few hours and we planned to be there. Nobody had seen the girl tributes from five and six, the boy from ten, or the tributes from eleven.

With the trident finally in my hands, I was able to actually hunt. Gale was apparently a hunter as well and proved to be quite good at it. He used the bow and and arrow and set up some snares. I fished in the lake using my trident and also took out a rabbit. We gathered quite the little meal and although Peeta and I had already ate, we definitely were still hungry.

As we dined on our food, we tried to come up with a plan for how to approach the careers at the lake. We knew we couldn't just walk up and try to attack them. Even with all the weapons we had, they probably still had more supplies than we could dream of.

"We split up. Approach them from opposite sides, corner them." Gale said before he took a bite of the rabbit I had caught us.

"We still can't take them. We need a distraction. Something to throw them off their game."

Madge's stood to her feet. "Before you all ask, I refuse to be the distraction. I'll end up dead because my sling-shot doesn't stand a chance against their weapons."

I sighed and before Peeta could open his mouth, I spoke. "No, Peeta. I won't let you. It's too dangerous."

He rolled his eyes. "I can protect myself, Katniss."

"Hardly. You slept right through it when Gale and Madge came earlier."

"I was tired!" He said, shoving me in the arm.

"Well, it can't be me or Katniss. We need to be ready to fight them." Gale said.

"Well, if it can't be me or you or Katniss or Peeta, then who is going to be our decoy?" Madge asked, irritated.

"I'll do it."

We all whipped around at the sound of a tiny and quiet voice. A small, dark skinned girl stood behind a tree, hesitatingly. Her lips were pulled together tightly and her eyes were wide with curiosity and maybe even a little fear. Rue. The girl from District Eleven.

* * *

_A/N: Sorry it's so short! I'm going camping and I wanted to get it up prior to that. Plus, I am sick and need to get to bed so I ended the chapter shorter than I intended to but I promise, next chapter will be long and action filled! Hope you liked the Gale and Madge kiss, It seems like something Gale would pull, honestly. __Good guesses about the four of them forming an alliance! We'll say what trouble that gets them into, huh? Okay this is short but I just need some sleep but PLEASE review and thanks to all the reviews thus far! Happy Hunger Games, readers!_


	11. Chapter 11

We all stared at her, our jaws hung slightly open._ Where did she even come from?_ I wondered. I was pretty embarrassed by the fact that anybody could sneak up on us without the four of us even realizing it. We definitely had some work to do if we were going to kill the careers.

"Hello! How long have you been there?" Katniss asked her gently. It was odd to see her being so kind to Rue when earlier she was practically shooting daggers with her eyes at Gale and I.

Rue stepped out from the tree entirely, revealing her tiny little frame. She was a twelve year old. Hardly even a child. "I've been following Gale and Madge for a while now. And then I overheard you guys saying you needed a decoy and thought I could help."

Gale and I stared at each other for a moment, baffled. We had no idea she had been following us. Gale looked back at Rue and even his voice was soft when he spoke to her. "It's not going to be an easy job."

Rue smirked. "I hope not. I'd like the challenge." She said confidently.

Katniss was smiling at the young girl with a softness in her eyes I had never seen before. "Then welcome to the team, Rue."

I shook my head and spoke up. "Now, hold on." All four pair of eyes found me. I swallowed and then continued. "Rue, it's going to be extremely dangerous."

She sighed. "I'm in the Hunger Games. Every breath I take is extremely dangerous."

"Rue's right." Gale said. "She's in no more danger than she is already. If she's offering, we could use the help."

Something told me it wasn't a good idea. To invite a twelve year old to be our decoy, to use her as bait. It would most likely go wrong, of course. Because everything went wrong. Because including Katniss and Peeta into our plan was already stretching me. The more people involved, the more people who would have to die.

But I was outnumbered so Rue was going to be our decoy whether I liked it or not. And as they came up with a plan, I kept my mouth shut the entire time. I didn't want to be a part of this anymore.

"Rue will leave an hour before us to get ahead. She'll start a fire a few miles from the lake to drag the careers over there. That will give us time to hide out by the lake so when the careers come back from the fire, they won't see us. We will be hidden." Gale said quietly.

"And then what?" Rue asked excitedly.

"And then," He continued, "Katniss comes out first with her trident. She attacks Clove, which will draw all the attention to her. That's when Peeta comes out to attack Glimmer, who will be injured and an easy kill. Madge, you come out next and use your sling-shot to get Marvel from far away. Don't you _dare_ get to close to him. At this point, Peeta should have Glimmer killed and he will be able to help you with Marvel. I will take on Cato and Katniss will back me up, after she kills Clove. It's an attack that involves a lot of distractions but even with those, the careers will be strong and lethal. We have to be careful. We have to all survive this."

Katniss nodded. "What about Rue? Where does she go after she starts the fire?"

"I climb a tree nearby until they are gone. And then I'll come up to the lake to back you guys up." Rue said.

"Sounds good to me. Rue, you better get going soon." Peeta chimed in.

She nodded and then turned her attention towards me. "First, I want to help Madge with the sling-shot. Give her some tips."

"Oh." Was all I managed to say. I was aware that Rue was an expert with the sling-shot but I didn't even think to ask her for some help. Nor did I think she would be willing to give it to me.

Nevertheless, I followed her as she stepped away from the others and to a nearby tree I could use as a target. She taught me a better way to hold it, a more exact way to line up my arm so my aim would be more on target, a few little tricks on how to load the sling-shot quickly and efficiently. We made small talk as we practiced.

"So, how long have you been following Gale and me?" I asked as I shot a stone into the tree. Her tips were helping. I was getting much better.

She shrugged. "The first day. I wasn't following you exactly. I just so happened to be in a tree you two were under and from then on, I stuck close to you."

"Why?" I asked.

"I'm not sure." She said with a puzzled expression. "You two are very smart together. I thought it could only help to be near to you. Unless, of course, you saw me and killed me. Then it wouldn't have been a very good idea."

I coughed as I lined up my shot. "Yeah, well... I'm not very good at killing people."

"There are worse things than not being very good at killing people." Rue said with a smirk. I couldn't help but laugh. She was simply adorable.

"How'd you get so good with this thing?" I asked after she hit a bird on a branch fifty feet away.

"Practice." She said simply.

We returned to the group soon after and it was definitely time for Madge to get going. "I'll see you all soon." She said with a smile. She ran off into the woods.

We realized we would be getting very little sleep that night and therefore, should try to get some rest. Peeta and Katniss took the first watch while Gale and I slept. A half hour later, they shook us awake so we could trade spots. They snuggled down close to each other, sharing each others warmth like Gale and I done the other night, but without the uncomfortable feeling. There was nothing awkward about the way they held each other.

Gale watched them sleep for a moment before he whispered to me. "He loves her, you know."

I nodded. "I know."

"Not that I know what love is." He said with a roll of his eyes.

"I heard you know when you feel it. It just comes to you."

He snorted and glanced up at me. "Or maybe everyone is just under the same illusion. They_ think_ it's love when really, it's just some sick form of infatuation."

"My parents love each other." I said simply, staring off into the distance again.

"Mine too." He said quietly with no further explanation or comment.

"So," I whispered and he glanced up at me, "I guess love isn't just an illusion after all." His eyes found mine and I was reminded of his kiss from earlier and how badly I wanted to lean in and do it all over again. But he had only kissed me because I had never been kissed before. It wasn't done out of actual affection. But in that moment, with our faces inches apart and our eyes glued to each other, I wondered what he would do if I _did _kiss him. Would he pull away? Probably not. He was a boy, after all. A boy who had kissed plenty of other girls.

"Guess not." He said breathlessly. And maybe I was imagining it, but I could've sworn I saw him start to lean into me. But at that moment, Peeta coughed and sat up and we jumped back from each other.

He whipped around and saw us sitting so close together and he smiled. "Hey guys." He said, the curiosity evident in his voice.

"Good, you're up. We better get going then." Gale said quickly before he stood up and walked away from me as quickly as possible.

* * *

We saw the smoke from Rue's fire. We hoped the careers were following it, wondering which tribute they could easily take out next. We approached the lake to find it completely empty save the boy from ten, who was guarding what looked to be like their supply pile. He was asleep and it didn't take Gale long to kill him. He didn't even have chance to scream. I tried not to let my stomach flip upside down at how easy it seemed for him. How easily he could kill. The boys canon fired and we knew the careers would hear it and come back soon enough.

We all stationed ourselves behind the pile of supplies, so the careers wouldn't see us when they returned from checking out the fire. After an excruciating half hour, we heard voices. They were here. I gripped my trident tightly in my left hand while I searched for Peeta's hand with my right. I found it and interlaced my fingers with his own, squeezing tightly. And then I released his hand and spun out to face the careers. They hadn't spotted me yet so I had the advantage.

I lined my trident up with Clove, who was ten feet away. But just as I went to throw it, Cato spotted me and ran straight towards me, grabbing me by the waist and dragging me to the ground. My back slammed into the grass so hard that the wind was knocked right out of me. I struggled to breath as he straddled me. I still had hold of my trident but it was impossible to lift up my arm with the way Cato was on top of me. Just as he was grabbing hold of my neck, someone grabbed hold of Cato and dragged him off of me. As I laid there, trying to breathe, I saw that it was Peeta.

"Peeta!" I screamed as Cato punched him in the face. Blood was everywhere instantly. An arrow went into Cato's shoulder and he cried out in pain and fell off of Peeta. I looked back at Gale who stood there with his bow. He was most likely aiming for the heart but this was good enough for now. Just as I went to thank him, he nudged his head towards Clove, who was headed towards me. I threw my trident at the same time as she threw a knife. Her knife missed but my trident didn't. Although she tried to dodge out of the way, she wasn't quick enough. It lodged into her thigh.

I saw a stone fly through the air and hit Marvel in the temple. His face instantly was covered in gushing blood but he was still breathing. He held a hand to his temple and went down to his knees. He threw his spear at Madge and I screamed as it lodged into her shoulder. She yanked it out and threw it down to the ground and I swore to myself as she had pratically thrown it right back into Marvel's hands. Madge and Peeta were wounded and all three of the careers were wounded. And then I realized something. _All three of them._ There should be four.

"Where's Glimmer?" I screamed as I glanced around me.

And that's when we heard the cry. We whipped around to find Glimmer wrapped in dirty and bloody bandages, holding little Rue in a headlock with a knife in her other hand. Glimmer smiled wickedly at the four of us. "Thought you could hide her from us in a tree, huh? Thought we would be that stupid?"

"Let her go!" I screamed as I lunged for them but Gale yanked me by the arm and pulled me back.

"Get off of me, Gale!" I spat as I struggled to release myself from his hold.

"No, because if I do, you're going to do something idiotic like get yourself killed." He whispered.

I narrowed my eyes at this boy that I barely knew. Who did he think he was? And why did I even matter? If I died, I was just one less tribute for him to kill anyways.

Glimmer brought the knife up to Rue's forehead. "I wanted to kill her in front of you. Thought it would be more fun for everyone that way." She whispered viciously.

"Kill her and I'll kill all of them. Right here and now." I found myself saying.

Glimmer laughed. "You plan on doing that anyways, water girl."

"You should be dead." Gale piped in, glaring at her.

She shrugged and then tightening her grip on the struggling Rue. I couldn't look at her. "I got some generous sponsors. Wound still bleeds a little but it's healing quite nicely." She said through a laugh.

I stared at her, wondering if I could throw the trident without her noticing. Madge appeared beside me despite her clearly broken and bleeding shoulder. She had wrapped it up with a ripped off part of her shirt. She must've noticed that I was deep in thought because she nudged me gently and I glanced up to find her questioning gaze. My eyes drifted down to the trident behind my back and she nodded quickly and subtly, understanding. Or I hoped she understood. We needed to distract Glimmer and we needed to do it now.

What happened next happened too fast to process. Madge grabbed Gale by the back of the head with her good arm and brought his lips into her own, kissing him passionately. Gale took only a second to respond. He pulled her into him and buried his hands in her hair. Glimmer stared at them, completely confused and thrown and it was just enough time. I sent the trident straight through her heart. She fell to the ground instantly and her grip on Rue fell as well. Rue stood up quickly and yanked the trident out before she raced towards us. It was less than thirty seconds later we heard Glimmer's canon. She was dead.

I had killed her.

Rue glanced at the wounded tributes and then at us. Madge was on her knees now, wincing in pain from her wound and Gale was standing above her, a hand on her shoulder gently. That's when I felt the stabbing pain in my leg. I was brought to my knees instantly and turned around to see that it had been Clove who had thrown a knife at me. She winked at me and screeched, "Didn't see that one coming did you?"

Gale lined up his bow and tried to hit her with an arrow but she was back on her feet, hopping around on her good leg and was able to dodge the arrow. She sent another knife flying in his direction but he used his backpack as a shield. Peeta sent a huge heavy rock soaring in the direction of Marvel and Cato but his aim was off on account of all the blood in his face and he missed by five feet. Cato finally yanked the arrow out of his shoulder and stood to his feet slowly. He eyed Gale, the only one of us uninjured.

Gale lunged at him and flipped him into the ground quickly. He had the advantage of being uninjured. But the spear that landed in Gale's back, none of us saw that coming. Marvel and that damn spear. This gave Cato the advantage and as he went to wrap his slimy hands over Gale's neck, Madge sent a stone flying for his own temple. It wasn't as big as the one that hit Marvel but it was big enough to get him off of Gale for a moment as he collapsed to the ground.

We had to kill them and we had to do it soon. I saw Rue aim her sling-shot at Cato but just then, I noticed Clove lining up her knife in Rue's direction. I screamed and ran towards Rue, pushing her to the ground. But I was too late. A knife was lodged in Rue's throat. "Rue!" I cried. "Oh, Rue!"

I placed her head was in my lap and I began to stroke her hair as she struggled to keep her eyes open. She made a horrible noise in the back of her mouth and I knew she was choking on her own blood. There was nothing that could be done. I couldn't save her. I yanked her hand and held onto it tightly. I didn't know Rue. I had just met her. But everything about her reminded me of Prim. And watching her die was the most devastating and horrible thing I had ever had to watch. She was spelling something out for me in the palm of my hand.

"What? What is it?" I whispered close to ear.

She traced the word again and I focused on the way her fingers moved against my palm. _Sing_. She was writing _Sing._

I closed my eyes as a tear rolled down my cheek. I hadn't sung in years. Not since my father died. He was the real singer. His voice was indescribable. I remember once he took me out fishing on our boat and his voice filled the salty air around us. It was as if the entire world went still and everybody and everything was listening to his honey-like voice. I had never sung in front of anybody besides him. And all I could seem to remember was one song. It was somewhat of an ancient district song. The words were imprinted on my memory like a stamp. They flowed out of my mouth and past my lips.

_"Oh, the water is rough. The water is rising._

_The waves are big now, the waves are crashing._

_The storm is coming in, the thunder is rumbling._

_But darling, I've still got you. I've still got you."_

Rue smiled softly and closed her eyes. I smoothed the hair back from her forehead and despite myself, I glanced behind me. Every set of eyes were on me. I kept going anyways.

_"Oh, the lighting will crash, the rain will fall._

_The waves will try to pull you under_

_The storm will be rough and the water will rise_

_But darling, I've still got you. I've still got you."_

I finished despite my now free flowing tears. And I watched Rue take her last breath. I placed a kiss to her temple and watched as one of my own tears landed on her forehead. I wiped it away gently. I didn't move, I didn't breathe. I was paralyzed.

"Katniss." I heard Peeta's gentle voice in my ear.

I stayed right there, staring at the girl in my arms. Twelve years old. That's ten fingers and two toes. That's how easily one can count to twelve. Barely a child. A child killed fighting for her own life. No, fighting for my life, Peeta's life, Gale and Madge's life. Not just her own. If she had just stayed alone, if she had never approached us, she would still be alive right now.

"Katniss." Peeta said again and then we jumped at the sound of her canon. I looked up into the sky and knew the hovercraft wouldn't come yet. Not when I still had her in my arms.

"Did you kill Clove?" I asked quietly, not glancing up at him.

He didn't say anything for a long moment. Then he answered hoarsely, "She got away. When you were singing... she... got away. So did the boys."

I closed my own eyes at this. They all got away. We had come to kill all four of them and only managed to take down one. And in the process, we had to kill the boy guarding the supplies and Rue ended up dead herself. The entire night had been for practically nothing.

No. I wouldn't let Rue die for nothing.

I stood up quickly and glanced around, ignoring the questions from Peeta. Madge and Gale were busy applying medicine to their wounds. I tried to tell Peeta to do the same but he wouldn't listen. Whatever I was doing, he wanted to be a part of it. I saw some wildflowers near the edge of the lake and I started grabbing them, yanking them from the ground. Peeta began to help me and when I traced her body with the beautiful and vibrant flowers, he finally understood. I was making her death matter. Because she mattered. She would always matter.

I placed the final flower in her hands and found comfort in the fact that they would have to show her body on live TV like this. Everybody would see what I did. And if the Capitol wasn't trying their hardest to kill me now, they sure as hell would be soon. That didn't matter, however. The only thing that mattered now was keeping Peeta safe. At all cost.

I walked away so I wouldn't have to watch the hovercraft pick up her tiny body. Peeta followed me and when I whipped around to face him, the hot tears on my face, I started to scream at him. Because I didn't know what else to do. "Just leave me alone!" I cried, trashing and hitting him hard in the chest. That was the last thing I wanted, however. I didn't want to be alone ever again.

He was a bloody mess already and I was sure his nose was broken but yet there I was, abusing him even more. And he wasn't fighting it. He was letting me. This made me more angry and my fist pounded harder into his chest as I yelled obscenities at him that I truly meant for the capitol. _I hate you, I hate you, I hate you. _Eventually, Peeta grabbed both of my wrist out of the air and held them tightly. And then he pulled me into him, wrapped his arms around me quickly as I collapsed into his chest, the sobs wracking my body. It wasn't just about Rue. It was about everything. Everything that had happened from the moment my name was drawn until that moment standing by the lake. My life was a nightmare and I couldn't just wake up like I wanted to.

"I want to go home." I found myself sobbing into his chest. After the words left my lips, I realized how stupid they were. Peeta would never let me die now. He kissed under my tear stained eyes and then he held my face in his hands, forcing my eyes to find his own.

"Me too." He said as his own lip began to tremble. And then I crashed back into him.

* * *

"It's too deep." I said to Gale as he tried again to apply the medicine to the gashing wound on my shoulder. It had worked just fine on his back but the spear hadn't been lodged very deep, unlike my wound. Marvel had gotten the spear in me good.

"It _will _work!" He yelled at me.

I shook my head and laid it down on the ground. "It's no use. What if I don't make it, Gale?" I asked quietly.

"Hey!" Gale barked at me and I looked up to find his gaze heavy and angry. "You don't get to talk like that. And you certainly don't get to die on me."

I sighed and shut my eyes to help ease some of the pain. In all my life I had never felt anything like that. Nothing had ever hurt so bad before. I wanted it to end. I just wanted the pain to end. I was crying before I even realized it. Gale noticed and took my hand into his own. He squeezed it and I squeezed back with all my might.

He cringed and then gave me a smile. "You're stronger than you look, Princess."

"I'm trying to force the pain out of my own body and into yours." I said through clenched teeth.

He laughed. "Now is not the time for jokes."

"I wasn't joking." I said as I squeezed his hand even harder, the pain in my shoulder throbbing to the rhythm of my heartbeat.

He used his free hand to brush back the sticky and bloody hairs from my forehead. "You're going to be alright, Madge."

It was then that the anthem began to play. We glanced up at the sky to watch the faces of Glimmer, the boy from ten, and finally, Rue flash before us. Sweet little Rue who only hours ago had been teaching me how to use my sling-shot properly. Rue, who would never turn into a teenager or an adult or a mother. Who would never experience the things the rest of Panem took for granted. When the anthem ended and their faces disappeared, I realized I needed to focus on something other than the pain. Both physical and emotional.

"Distract me. Like I did to you the other night. It's your turn now. Distract me."

Gale nodded and continued to brush the hair off my forehead with one hand while he squeezed my palm with his other one. "I wrote you a letter once."

This got my attention.

"What?"

"A letter. I... I figured if I couldn't say thank you out loud that I could maybe write it down. And I did. But I found out that giving you the letter was the hard part. I promised myself for weeks that I would give it to you. Leave it on your doorstep or in your locker at school. But I was too scared. Too damn scared."

"You're not making this up, are you?" I asked quietly.

He shook his head. "No, I'm not. I tried for weeks, Madge. And eventually, I burned the letter because I knew I would never have the courage to give it to you."

I tried to laugh but it made my shoulder sting in such a way that I immediately stopped. "You're not afraid of anything. You're Gale Hawthorne."

"I'm afraid of you." He whispered.

"Why?"

"I don't know why. And that just makes me even more terrified, not knowing what it is about you that makes me keep my distance."

I swallowed and said, "You don't seem so afraid anymore."

He smirked and smoothed my forehead. "Well then I'm really good at hiding it." He studied my face for a long moment before he said in a low whisper, "That kiss a few moments ago... that was to distract Glimmer."

"Yes." I said. And then I added, "And your kiss earlier was just because I had never been kissed before."

"Yes." He stated back and then he smiled. He opened his mouth to say something else but then we heard the sound of Peeta and Katniss approaching and Gale sat up quickly. He handed them the medicine so they could take care of their own wounds and then they discussed what to do with my shoulder. Katniss said we should keep trying to apply the medicine but keep the wound wrapped in clean bandage. Gale wrapped my shoulder and forced me to drink sips of water.

"What do we do now?" Peeta asked softly.

Gale sighed. "We can't stay here, that's for sure. I don't want to have to face the careers again tonight. Not with Madge so hurt. I'll carry her and we will leave. Go back to the woods, I guess."

Everybody seemed to be on board with this plan and Gale scooped me into his arms. I rolled my eyes and told him my _shoulder _was hurt, not my leg and therefore I could walk, but he just told me to hush up. He said I had lost a lot of blood and would be too dizzy to walk. After a few more failed attempts at getting him to put me down, I eventually just gave up and leaned my head into his chest as he led us through the forest. It was almost relaxing. I eventually drifted off to sleep, wondering what the future held for the four of us in these games and how much longer there would even be four of us.

* * *

_A/N: Whew. Long, intense chapter. A lot happened but I promised you it would be action filled and it definitely was. And if you do the math, we are down to TEN tributes! And we haven't seen or heard from Fox Face or Thresh yet but they will also be in my story at some point! SO much happened here, I don't even know what to ask you about. Just tell me what you liked and didn't like!Reviews are amazing! Thanks everyone for your support thus far, it means the world to me._


	12. Chapter 12

We found a cave down by the creek that we could stay in for a little while. Just until Madge got better. The gash in her shoulder was only getting worse. The medicine had helped some, but not enough. Even the most powerful medicine had its limits, apparently. She was pale and sweating, alternating between throwing up and sleeping. It was horrible for all of us.

Gale tried to feed her some berries but she shook her head quickly. "No. I can't eat."

He sighed. "You _need_ to eat."

"If I eat those, I will throw up again and I'm not in the mood, Gale." She snapped.

He held up his hands in defense. "Alright, alright. You don't have to eat. But you must drink." He put a bottle of water to her lips and she took tiny sips.

It was the afternoon after our fight with the careers. We had no idea where they went or what they were planning. And we still had yet to see the other tributes but we knew they were alive. There was ten left, including the four of us.

"Let's go get some fish for dinner, Katniss." Peeta said before placing his hand on the small of my back. I nodded and he led us out of little cave and towards the stream. He had made a net out of the rope from our packs and now that I had my trident, we were catching an immeasurable amount of fish.

We stepped into the stream as carefully and quietly as possible. As always, I was much better at the quiet part that Peeta. I smiled over at him as he bit his lip, trying so hard to concentrate on being careful so he didn't scare them all away.

"You're much better than you used to be. The day I met you, you were stomping around the water like a giant." I said to him.

He rolled his eyes. "Well I am much better now because I've had an excellent teacher."

I shrugged. "I'm not that great."

"You're unstoppable with a trident, Katniss."

This made me laugh a cold, emotionless laugh. "If that were true than I would've been able to kill all four of the careers last night but all I did was take down one and lose Rue in the process."

Peeta's hand found rest on my shoulder as he spoke. "Nobody, not even the famous Finnick, could've destroyed all four of them at once like that."

I smirked at the mention of Finnick and oddly enough, I found myself missing him. But I quickly dismissed the thought because surely, I didn't miss people like Finnick. Not when there were so many more important people to miss. Like Prim. And my mother. But to appease my dear mentor, I replied with, "Finnick would've surely tried to make a move on Glimmer and Clove before he killed them."

Peeta laughed and lowered his fishing net. "_That_ would be the Finnick we know."

I smiled and brought my attention back to the water below me. A school of fish began to gather a few inches from me and I nudged my head at Peeta. He nodded in response and when I mouthed the word, "go", he dropped the net and I sent my trident through a few of them.

We pulled our net full of fish to the edge of the water and then we dropped down into the grass, keeping our feet dipped in the cool spring water. Peeta laid down on his back and I joined him, laying my head on his chest as his arms wrapped around my own. I could feel the ever steady beating of his heart.

"Katniss, what's going to happen if comes down to the four of us?" Peeta asked quietly. We had all been thinking the same thing ever since we teamed up. How could we not? We could play our little games and run around the truth as much as we wanted but only _one_ tribute could win, not two, not three and most definitely not four.

I shrugged into him. "You know what will happen. They will turn on each other, turn on us. And then we have no choice."

He sighed and one of his hands began to play with my hair. "You know, in another life, I think we could maybe be friends."

I laughed out loud for a long minute, thinking he was joking. When I lifted my head up to his face, I saw that he was serious. I rolled my eyes and said, "Peeta, Gale is arrogant and stubborn and rude. Madge is... well, I guess she's alright. But I still can't picture the four of us running around, holding hands."

Peeta popped me on the nose. "You're impossible."

"I'm realistic. In no life would we all be friends."

"We teamed up with them, didn't we?"

I sighed. "Only because they had my trident!"

He laughed and I laid my head back down on his chest. He spoke softer then. "I've known you since we were little kids and yet, you always still surprise me. You're just unlike any other person I've ever met."

I smiled. "Is that a good thing?"

"It's a very good thing. I never know what you're going to do next. I don't think you even know. You think in the moment and let your emotions guide you."

I snorted. "I do _not_ let my emotions guide me."

"Remember what happened to Finnick that night when he was joking around with you? You thought with your emotions, not your head."

That was true I guess. I punched him in the face. That wasn't exactly something I would've done had I been thinking with my head. I sighed. "That's only one example."

"Your private training session." Peeta whispered close to my ear so the cameras wouldn't pick it up.

Well, that was also true. I had let my emotions guide me and I turned into a monster. But still, this didn't prove anything. "Is there more?" I asked Peeta.

He lifted my chin up so I was facing him. Our bodies were still entangled. He smiled and said, "There's plenty more. It doesn't make you weak, Katniss. To think with your emotions. It makes you human."

Well, being human won't get you to win the games. Being human won't allow you to kill ruthlessly, to throw trident's through the hearts of other tributes without as much as blinking an eye. Being human won't send you back home to your family and your district. If Peeta and I were going to be the final two, I wasn't allowed to be human. That's what the capitol wanted me to think, anyways. I wasn't sure what I thought anymore.

I played with the zipper of Peeta's jacket. "How many more nights do you think we have in this place?" The true meaning of my question didn't go unnoticed by Peeta. I was really asking, how many more nights did we have together?

Peeta sighed. "Less than a week, I'm sure."

This made my stomach drop. It wasn't enough time to spend with Peeta. "Well, at least for a moment, we are alone." I said without even realizing the implication of my words.

His eyes were glued to mine. "What does that even mean?" He asked me gently, a smirk playing on the edges of his lips.

I shrugged. "I don't know." And because he was staring at me like I was the most spectacular thing he had ever seen, and because I had just realized how truly numbered our days were together, and because I was apparently good at thinking with my emotions, I leaned into him and gently pressed my lips into his own. Sweet and slow, he breathed me in. His hands cupped my face and my own found his shoulders. The kiss seemed to linger on for days and I didn't really mind. When Peeta finally did pull away, just enough to look at me, his eyes asked the questions I couldn't answer. I leaned my head back into his chest before he had time to say anything.

And after a long while, he nudged me and told me we should get back to Gale and Madge. I nodded my head but I didn't want to go back. I wanted to stay here with Peeta, wrapped up in his arms. But Madge was injured and we needed to get back. We brought back our fish and made the four of us a dinner. Of course, Madge couldn't eat any and the smell almost had puking her guts out, so the three of us ate it outside of the cave.

When we finished and crawled back inside, Gale made an interesting point. "We don't have to eat fish every meal, you know. And I'm not talking about my hunting. I'm talking about the pile of food and supplies by the lake."

Madge sighed from her place on the floor of the cave. "We are _not_ fighting the careers again."

"We have to. We can't avoid them and hope somebody else kills them. They've always been our biggest contenders. They've always been the ones to kill." He responded.

Peeta nodded his head. "He's right. We can't hide."

Something occurred to me. "They left the lake last night. What if they haven't made it back there yet?"

Gale shook his head. "There's no way they would be away from the lake this long. Nobody is guarding their supplies now. They are surely there."

I narrowed me eyes at him. "We don't know that for sure. We could go spy on them and-"

"And what?" He snapped. "Get ourselves almost killed again? If we are going to take over their supplies we need a better plan than last time."

I sighed and took a bite of my fish when I got an idea. "Wait." I began, "The careers have the advantage because of those supplies. They have plenty of food and a variety of weapons. If we can't beat the careers, it's because they are stronger."

Peeta smiled at me, understanding where I was going with this. "We need to make them weaker."

I pointed my finger in his direction. "Exactly. I say we destroy their supplies instead of stealing from them. We know how to hunt and they don't."

Madge spoke up again. "How do you plan on destroying them exactly?"

I shrugged. "I haven't thought that far ahead."

Gale rolled his eyes. "This what our problem last time. Our plan had too many holes. We can't go into this blind again, Katniss."

I stood up, the anger now pumping through my blood. "Do you have a better idea then, _Gale_?" I hissed his name.

He threw his hands up in defense and I realized how close I was to him, how the anger had gotten the best of me. There I was, thinking entirely on emotion again. His voice was still angry when he spoke but it was softer. "I'm not saying it's a bad plan. I'm just saying we need to think it through entirely before we do anything."

"Yeah, well, once you come up with this genius plan, let me know." I snapped before turning away from him.

* * *

All the fighting over what to do with the careers supplies was making my pounding headache even worse. Eventually, I drifted off to sleep. When I awoke, the sun was setting. I could see Peeta and Katniss sitting on the edge of the cave while Gale was next to my side. He smiled soflty when he saw I was awake.

"Hey, princess." He muttered.

My voice was hoarse. "Hi."

"Feeling any better?"

My shoulder was still aching, I was nauseous and sweating and cold and hot all at the same time. But I didn't want to be complain. I was alive. That would have to be enough. "A little." I said vaguely.

He handed me a water bottle and I drank from it slowly. Even water was hard to keep down. I glanced at my shoulder and saw that the bandage was dirty and far too bloody. I closed my eyes to keep myself from throwing up again.

"Here, let me change that." Gale said, practically reading my mind. He slowly replaced the bandage with some new gauze. At least it didn't look so horrible when cleaned. Gale put his hand to my forehead. "You feel hot."

I was hot. But I didn't need him to worry anymore than he already was. I shook my head and said, "I feel fine."

Gale sighed. "We need to get you medicine. What does a guy have to do to get some sponsors?" He mumbled.

"Prove ourselves worthy, I guess."

Gale didn't say anything for a long moment. Then he looked at and said desperately, "We have to kill them, Madge. The sooner we do it, the better."

At this, Katniss and Peeta turned back into the cave. Katniss spoke up. "And the sooner we destroy their supplies, the sooner we can kill them."

"Did you come up with a plan yet?" I asked her.

She nodded. "Sure did. And it doesn't involve you. Or Peeta for that matter."

Peeta rolled his eyes. "You're hilarious, Katniss. Truly. If you honestly think I'm going to let you run off without my protection then you don't know me."

"We talked about this, Peeta! It's the best strategy. Gale and I will go and scope out the lake, figure out what or who is guarding the supplies. If more than one career is there, we will come back, grab you. If that's not necessary, Gale and I will go in and destroy the supplies, plus anybody who is there. We don't know how we will destroy them, exactly. But we won't know until we go look at them again. It was dark last time so we didn't get to really see them."

"So I just have to sit here and do nothing? You aren't even including me in the plan? I'm not useless!" I yelled.

Gale put his hand on my shoulder. "You're sick, Madge. You-"

"Would just slow you guys down." I finished for him.

Gale shook his head. "No. You would just end up more hurt."

"I told you I feel fine today!"

"And you're clearly lying. We are only getting Peeta if necessary. You won't be alone, Madge!" He snapped.

I opened my mouth to respond with something nasty, but the sound of a canon going off stopped me. We glanced around aimlessly, wondering whose it was.

"Maybe one of the tributes got a career." Peeta suggested.

"Or a career got one of the other tributes. That's more likely." Katniss said quietly.

Night came quickly. Katniss and Gale planned to leave in the morning. I still was too angry to even talk to Gale. I hated being treated like the weak one, although that was the truth. I was injured, yes. But if Katniss had my injury, she would still be headed to that lake tomorrow, no questions asked. But the precious mayor's daughter? She has to stay locked away in a cave with a guard.

We all laid down to sleep, but I was in far too much pain. My head ached, my shoulder ached, everything was always spinning. It took everything in me to keep water down. With a sigh, I crawled out of my sleeping bag and stepped outside of the cave. I leaned against a tree, facing the stream. The air was cold but it felt good with my fever.

"Can't sleep either?"

I turned to see Katniss standing before me. She took the seat next to me without saying a word. Side by side we sat and then I spoke up.

"Wouldn't matter if I wasn't hurt. No night here is a goods night sleep." I said.

She nodded but didn't say anything. She didn't seem like the type of girl to enjoy small talk. We sat in the silence for a long time, letting it pratically swallow us whole. Then, surprisingly, Katniss spoke up.

"He wants me to win. But I'm too selfish to do it." She was referring to Peeta. I didn't know where this was coming from, but I figured if she was talking, I better listen. "How ironic is that? Neither of us wants to be the one to live, to win."

I smiled. "Well, at least you have an excuse. You two are best friends. It's no wonder why you want to protect each other." I let out a sigh before I said in a quiet voice, "Unlike me. I have no excuse."

"For what?"

I bit my lip. "I just... I have this unexplainable need, this uncontrollable drive to protect Gale, no matter what the cost. And I have no idea why or how to make it stop. It's been that way ever since I met him."

She stared at me and then dropped her gaze to the ground. "Maybe you just like to take care of people."

I shook my head. "No. I just like to take care of him. And he doesn't need me. But I need him. And I want him to need me, if that makes sense." I looked at her and then with a smirk I said, "You're just like him, you know. Gale. You two are the same."

Her head snapped in my direction. "I am _nothing_ like Gale." She snorted before crossing her arms over her chest.

"You're wired the same way. That's why you two don't get along. You come up with different ideas but you both think your way is the only way and so we never make a solid decision. You're both a little stubborn, reserved around people you don't know, and you both... you both care more than you let on." I said hesitantly. I didn't know how she would react to my words.

Katniss stared at me with her intense gray eyes for a long, long moment and then a small smile played on the edges of her mouth. "Well, maybe I am a little like Gale. Peeta said in another life, he thinks we could all be friends."

I laughed. "That's not hard for him to say. He seems like he could be friends with anyone."

Her face softened at my statement and she said gently, "He could. He sees the good in everybody, even when it looks like the good isn't there." She smiled off into the distance, her mind thinking of only Peeta now.

"We should try to get some rest. It's a big day tomorrow. For you, anyways." I mumbled.

She stood up and glanced at me. "He's just trying to protect you. You said you have this drive to look after him, he must have the same need, Madge."

This threw me for a second but I shook my head. "He just feels like he owes me." But even I could tell my words didn't sound all that true or convicning.

She rolled her eyes. "I doubt it. Goodnight, Madge."

"Goodnight, Katniss." I watched her go back into the cave and then a moment later, I followed her inside as well. I laid down next to Gale and he stirred at the movement. His eyes fluttered open and he smiled gently at the sight of me. Then, he fell back asleep.

* * *

_A/N: INSANELY short chapter, yes. But only because the one before this was HUGE and next chapter will be large as well. This chapter was way less about action, and more about character growth and development. We will have a lot of that next chapter too as Katniss and Gale spend time together and Madge and Peeta! How did you like Katniss and Madge's chat? I've been waiting to write that part forever and was so excited I finally got to! Let me know what you liked or didn't like, what you are excited for and all that! Thanks for all the reviews and keep them up. I LOVE LOVE LOVE reading every single one of them! They mean the world to me! Thanks, guys :)_

_P.S- I know night time already happened but you'll find out about the canon next chapter.  
_


	13. Chapter 13

The girl from Six. She was the canon we had all heard. I saw her picture in the sky that night. Nine of us left. Eight more deaths to go through before Peeta could finally win this thing. Well, seven if you didn't include mine. But I was sure he would.

We all awoke at dawn so Gale and I could head towards the lake. I grabbed Peeta by the arm to tell him goodbye. He hugged me close and whispered into my ear.

"Don't do anything impulsive and dangerous like you're prone to do. I won't be there to freak out."

I smiled and squeezed him tighter before I pulled away. "I'll try my best."

His eyes stayed glued to mine for a moment longer. He wanted to say more. He always wanted to say more. But instead, he pulled away and shifted his attention to Gale. His soft expression grew hard and intense.

"Be careful with her." He said quietly.

Gale didn't roll his eyes or reply with some snide comment like I assumed he would. Instead he nodded his head firmly and said, "I will. I promise." And that was that. Peeta and Gale had a promise.

Madge was still laying on the floor of the cave looking even worse than the night before, if that was possible. Gale crouched down beside her and I suddenly felt like I was intruding on something private and secretive but yet, I couldn't bring myself to look away.

"Don't get yourself killed, alright? I would have to take care of myself all alone and that would be hard work. Plus, there'd be nobody to pass out in front of." Madge said quickly, trying to crack a joke so Gale wouldn't catch the way her voice was wavering.

Gale sighed and forced her to take a sip of water. Then he looked her straight in the eye and said, "I'll be back before you know it."

"You'll be back before I know it." She repeated, nodding her head and swallowing back her tears.

He smiled and stood up before he turned to Peeta. "I'll keep Katniss safe if you keep Madge safe."

Peeta nodded. "That goes without saying. I'll protect her."

Gale turned to me and tossed over my trident. I caught it with one hand. He secured his bow and arrow on his back and then exhaled loudly. "Well, here goes nothing. Ready?"

I nodded. "Let's go destroy some supplies."

The first few miles were quiet. Gale didn't say much and I didn't particularly want him to. We hadn't exactly gotten along since we had all formed an alliance. Plus, Madge had made me realize how similar we were and that made me feel worse. I didn't want to be just like Gale. I didn't want to be cold and stubborn.

We stopped for a water break and to rest for a moment. The sun was beating down hard and it couldn't have been any later than eight in the morning.

"What do you think we will find there?" Gale asked before sipping his water.

I shrugged. "I honestly have no idea."

"If it's just Cato and Clove, I take Cato." He said.

I took a long sip of my water before answering. "Because you're more capable of killing him than me?"

Gale shook his head. "Because I made Peeta a promise."

I stood up and crossed my arms over my chest. "I can take Cato!" I yelled.

Gale began to walk away but I followed him quickly, trailing right on his toes. He whipped around to face me. "Trust me, killing Clove won't be no walk in the park either, Katniss. It just makes sense that I take on the boy. Swallow your pride and get over it!" He snapped at me.

"This alliance was a horrible idea!" I yelled. "Peeta and I work much better alone."

Gale laughed. "If you and Peeta were still alone, we wouldn't have taken down Glimmer nor would you have your trident right now."

"I could've killed you and got my trident." I said through narrowed eyes.

Gale dropped his bow to the ground and held his hands up. "Then kill me, Katniss! Kill me!" He screamed, daring me.

I swallowed hard and stared at him, trying to figure him out. He was nothing like Peeta, who I could read so easily. He kept his hands up in surrender as we eyed each other. I finally dropped my own gaze to the ground and whispered, "Let's just get going, alright?" I walked around him and took the lead.

"Why do you feel the need to prove yourself to me?" I heard him ask from behind me.

I sighed and without turning around to look at him, I replied, "Don't flatter yourself."

"You wanted to take on Cato. You wanted to prove to me that you could. Or maybe you wanted to prove to yourself you could. You scored an 11 in training, Katniss. People know you're strong and brave. You don't need to do idiotic things to prove it."

I didn't respond. I didn't exactly know _how_ to respond. Why did I feel the need to prove myself? And to Gale, of all people?

"_I think_," Gale continued, "You're trying to convince yourself you're as strong as people assume you are."

I stopped walking abruptly and he practically ran straight into my back. I turned around and said in an even voice. "I think you _just_ met me and have no right to make assumptions."

He nodded slowly. "Fair enough, Katniss."

"Good." I said before whipping back around to continue our now silent walk.

A few hours later, we finally reached the lake. We approached slowly and when we spotted the tower of supplies, we hid behind a tree to shield ourselves. We looked around but didn't see a single tribute. Not even guarding the supplies.

"That's odd." I commented. "Why would they leave them unguarded like that?"

"So people like us assume it's as easy as it looks." Gale said quietly, his eyes still glued to the supplies.

"I'm going to get a closer look." I whispered but just as I began to move forward, Gale pulled me back. I went to protest but then I saw what he saw. The girl tribute from five, she was approaching the pile of supplies, looking around to make sure nobody saw her. With her sneaky movements and her long, fire-red hair, she reminded me completely of a fox.

Gale and I watched as she stopped about ten feet from the supply pile and began to hop around in planned, strategic movements. At times, she would put only one foot down as she hopped around the ground, going left and right. She must've overstepped as she jumped forward because she lost her balance and her hands caught herself on the ground. She let out a small yelp and closed her eyes, as if she was waiting for something to happen. After a moment, she sighed in relief and stood back up. She took some more hops around the ground until she finally reached the pile of supplies. She took a little from everything. Some food, a few small supplies, a little water. Not enough for anyone to notice, but enough to keep her going. She must've been very resourceful, this girl. I decided to call her Fox Face because of her resemblance to a Fox.

Fox Face hopped away the same way she came, jumping from one foot to another until she was about ten feet away. Then she ran off into the woods without looking back. Gale and I stared at the supplies for a long time, trying to figure out what could possible make her act like that.

"She treated the ground as if... as if it was made of..." I said, searching for the words.

"Dynamite." Gale finished for me. Then his eyes grew wide. "Katniss, the ground has been wired with explosives."

I whipped my head back to the supplies in confusion before I understood. "You have to walk a certain way to avoid them being activated."

He nodded and glanced back at the pile, eying something close to the ground. He pointed towards it. "Look, you can see it there. They rewired the launching plates for explosives. Pretty impressive."

I sighed. "Great. So how do we destroy them without blowing up ourselves?"

Gale looked deep in thought for a moment and then he smiled. "I'd say we put my bow into good use."

Gale explained the plan to me. There was a burlap sack of apples hanging from a tree above the supply pile. Gale figured he could tear open the sack with an arrow or two, causing the apples to tumble down and set off the explosives. We figured the careers were near by so once they heard the explosion, they would come looking for the source of the problem. We would decide our next move based on how prepared or unprepared the careers appeared, and if all three of them were present.

I moved a little closer to the supply pile so I could keep an eye out for the careers as Gale lined up his first arrow. He released it and missed the sack by a few inches. I sighed and closed my eyes, forcing my mouth shut. If I said anything, it would make it worse and he would probably miss again. Luckily, his next shot sent a hole through the bag and the first apple was tempting to fall, teetering on the edge of the sack.

"Just one more shot, Gale." I whispered to myself and I glanced around in fear of the careers showing up or hearing me. I watched the next arrow fly through the air and lodge itself into an apple under the hole, opening the hole wide. The apples tumbled to the ground and an instant later, the supply pile ignited onto fire and I was blown back fifteen feet into the air.

* * *

"Favorite color?"

I smiled. "Yellow. Like the sun. You?"

"Orange. Like the sunset." He said quietly.

"Okay. Favorite thing to do?" I asked, my voice still hoarse from my illness caused by my shoulder.

Peeta thought about this for a moment. Then he replied, "Walking the beach late at night with Katniss. You?"

"Playing the piano." I closed my eyes and smiled at even the mention of my precious, shiny piano back home. Oh, how I wanted to play it right then. I wanted to run my fingers across the keys and sing quietly along. I wanted to fill my house with beautiful sounds and melodies, I wanted my mother to wheel over to me in her chair and fall asleep listening to me play. I wanted all of this. But instead, I was in arena. Dying. Practically dead already.

"Did your mother teach you how to play?" He asked me.

"No. It was my father, actually. I used to just listen to him play but then as soon as I was old enough, he taught me. I remember the way his hands would lay on top of mine as he showed me which keys to press. I still prefer when he plays and I sing along." I bit my lip to keep myself from crying, like an idiot.

"That was the first time I ever heard Katniss sing. The other night. With Rue." Peeta said quietly, lost in his own thoughts.

I nodded. "She has a beautiful voice."

"Beautiful doesn't even begin to describe it. It was something special she shared with her dad and I always figured if she wanted me to hear her, she would let me. I wasn't prepared for that though."

I turned to him. "You're in love with her." Of course, I already knew this. Gale and I had discussed it the other night. But I had never said it out loud in front of Peeta before.

He smiled softly and met my gaze. "Is it that obvious?" He asked me quietly.

"To everyone but her." I said.

He looked off into the distance and didn't say anything for a long moment. Then, he said in shaky, unsteady voice, "I just want her to live. I want her to leave this arena and go home to her family. I want her to keep fishing and keep riding waves to the shore." He smiled softly. "I just want her to have a chance at the life she deserves." He choked on his words.

I was so taken back. I had known Peeta loved Katniss but I hadn't realized how much. Of course, he had declared suicide in the interviews but hearing him tell me in person exactly why he wanted her to win, it made it all so much more personal and real. And in that moment, I wished we hadn't formed an alliance. Because I was eventually going to have to kill these people I was beginning to understand, beginning to like.

"We all deserve a chance at a longer life. Every tribute who enters this arena." I said quietly.

Peeta looked up at me, his eyes hard. "You can't say stuff like that." He whispered.

I shrugged. "I'm dying anyways. I really don't care what they hear me say anymore."

"You're _not _dying, Madge." He said quickly, coming close to my side and kneeling before me.

I tried to laugh but then ended up wincing in pain. "I have had a gash in my shoulder since two nights ago, I have a fever from the infection it's causing. I keep throwing up and alternating between being freezing and burning hot. I can barely think straight with my pounding headache. I am_ dying_, Peeta."

He shook his head. "I won't allow it."

I rolled my eyes. "You're starting to sound like Gale." He smirked at the mention of Gale. "What?" I asked him.

"Oh, nothing." He said.

I decided to just let it go. I wasn't exactly in the mood to decipher Peeta's stupid smirks. Instead, I closed my eyes and thought about drifting off to sleep. Peeta leaned against the cave wall next to me and I heard him sigh loudly.

"When did you know?" I asked him quietly, my eyes still closed.

"When did I know what?"

"That you loved her." I said back.

I heard him let out a laugh. " I don't know. The first time I saw her, I guess. I was deep in the water scaring away the fish. She called out to me and told me I needed to be more quiet. This beautiful girl on the beach, with long dark hair and startling eyes was talking to _me_. I could hardly even believe it. I asked her to teach me how to be more quiet, which seemed to throw her for a second. She must've been expecting me to fight her advice. But then she shrugged and came out into the water and worked with me. Showed me how to walk to avoid splashing, showed me the perfect movements to make under the water. After that day, I knew I would never be the same again. I knew I found the girl I would always love. And I was only a little boy then. But I knew, somehow."

I had to smile at his story. He was so sure of his love for her and he had always been. I still didn't understand love or what it was, but it was getting easier to spot it amongst others. "Do you regret never telling her?" I asked before opening my eyes and turning towards him.

He shook his head. "No, that was never important. I didn't want to push her away. I don't care if she never knows. _I know _and that's what matters."

"But if you would've told her, you two could have been together."

Peeta smiled. "You don't know Katniss. She doesn't want to be with anyone. Trust me, I did what I thought was right. Losing her as a friend I could've never handled."

I sighed. "Well," I said quietly, "She'd be lucky to be with you." I smiled at Peeta and he smiled back.

"She always surprises me. Like with Rue and the flowers..." His voiced trailed off.

I nodded. "And the song. Rue loved it. It was...peaceful." I said softly.

Just then, there was a crash outside of the cave. Peeta jumped to his feet and stepped out. Despite the pain in every bone inside of my body, I stood up and followed Peeta but he held out his hand to keep me behind him.

"Go back inside, Madge. You shouldn't be standing up." He whispered to me.

I shook my head quickly, although I did feel like I was about to throw up. "I'm fine. What was that noise?"

I glanced around and didn't see anything. Neither did Peeta. We heard a noise again and whipped around and there was the boy from Eleven, standing ten feet away holding out a boulder the size of my head. Sweat was dripping down his dark, thick skin and his eyes were narrowed down at us. They were filled with anger and hatred and an intensity I wasn't used to, an intensity I was afraid of.

"I... I heard you. What did you do to Rue? What did you do to the little girl?" He spat, his brow flurried in anger.

Peeta swallowed hard. "We didn't kill her!" He said quickly, one hand still placed gently under my chest to keep me behind him."

"Then who did?" He screamed as he continued to steady the boulder in his hands.

"The careers! We... we were her allies!" Peeta cried out.

The boy shook his head and lifted his arm back to throw the stone at Peeta. "I don't believe you." He said through gritted teeth.

I stepped forward and in front of Peeta before I could be stopped. "Our friend Katniss buried her in flowers!" I said, my own eyes welling up with tears at the memory.

The boy from eleven lowered the boulder a little bit as he studied my face. "She... flowers?" He asked quietly.

I nodded quickly. "Yes... flowers. We tried to protect her. We tried to save her but it was... it was all too late." My voice grew small and I felt defeated, ashamed, embarrassed.

He stared at me for a long moment, fighting a battle inside his head. Finally, he blinked and looked away. He dropped the boulder to the ground with a crash and backed away from us slowly, shaking his head. "Just this one time, twelve. I let you guys go just this one time. For the little girl."

And then he ran back off into the woods.

I didn't even realizing that I had been holding my breath until I released it. I turned back around to Peeta and he threw his arms around me, engulfing me in a hug. He pulled away and stared at me, amazed. "Madge, you just saved our life!"

"Yeah." I said quietly. Something didn't feel quite right. Peeta eyed me curiously and I gave him a half smile. No, it wasn't something that didn't feel right; it was me. I didn't feel right.

"Are you okay?"

I nodded but then shut my eyes quickly. And as if I was going underwater, my ears began to plug. I opened my eyes again but was met with only darkness. I could still vaguely make out the sound of my name begin shouted and the feeling of a hand gripping my arm. And then I crashed to the ground, remembering only the feeling of my head slamming into something sharp and hard.

* * *

I awoke spitting up dirt and the first thing I noticed was Gale sitting next to me. He was dirty and bleeding. I sat up and called out his name but the air was silent, save a buzzing noise. I said his name again but nothing came out. Then, I realized that I couldn't hear a single thing and the buzzing noise was from my own ears.

Gale pointed to his ears and I shook my head, signaling that I couldn't hear. He nodded and pointed back to himself. I guess he was experiencing the same problem. My right ear felt as if it was on fire and when I pressed my hand to it, it came back bloody. _That can't be a good sign, _I thought.

Gale handed me some bandage and I pressed it to my bad ear. He then picked up a stick and brushed away some twigs and leaves from the ground to give him room. He began to write something.

_Supplies are blown to bits._

I looked up at him and smiled and then my heart dropped at a horrible thought. I grabbed my own stick and wrote in the dirt myself.

_Careers?_

_Could not hear them but saw them. Angry. They walked away._

I nodded and understood immediately why he didn't try to fight him. We were both wounded and without sight. It would've been a death sentence. We would get them later. I sighed because it seemed we had been saying that for days. We were running out of time for later. Later was now. I picked back up my stick.

_Lets go to the cave._

Gale nodded and he grabbed my hand to help to my feet. I felt a little light headed standing up but It wasn't anything I couldn't handle. The sun was beating down on us hard so that wasn't helping. I figured I had been knocked out for at least a few hours. Just as we went to leave, however, we heard somebody approaching the destroyed supplies. Of course, it was my new red-headed friend.

Fox Face looked at the black pile and although I couldn't hear her, I could tell she was laughing hysterically. Clearly, she found this amusing. And because she was far more smarter than the Careers, she was able to dig through the rubble and find some useful tools. And then as quickly and quietly as she came, she disappeared again. I wondered briefly if the careers weren't really the ones to beat, maybe Fox Face was.

We walked through the early afternoon, stopping more often than I wanted. However, my ear was pounding and bleeding and we had left the medicine with Peeta so for the time being, I just had to deal with it. My left ear stopped ringing eventually and I was starting to hear again in that ear. Gale gained his hearing back sooner than I did, but he had been further back from the explosion.

"I was worried I'd never be able to hear again." He mumbled as we walked.

I smiled and kept the bloody bandage pressed up to my right ear. Only being able to hear out of one ear was a strange experience. I felt off my game, not prepared for any type of attack. Especially if it came from my right. Eventually, we decided to place Gale to my bad ear to help protect us both.

When we came up to our cave, I found it odd that both Peeta and Madge were outside of the cave. Madge was leaning against the back of it while Peeta poured water onto her head. Gale rushed over to them and leaned down to Madge.

"What the hell happened!" He shouted, examining her head. There was a trail of blood on the ground that I followed with my eyes. It started at a small boulder and led to where Madge was on the outside of the cave.

Madge groaned. "I am fine, Gale. I just fell over. Peeta can clean it and then put the medicine on and I'll be fine."

"YOU FELL OVER?" He screamed before jumping to his feet and glaring down at Peeta. "Would you like to explain this to me, Peeta?"

Peeta stood up slowly and quietly, with his hands up in the air. "She must've gotten too light headed and she fell. Unfortunately, there happened to be a boulder there because the boy from eleven tried to kill us with it and-"

"Wait, the boy from eleven tried to kill you!" I interrupted.

Gale swore under his breath. "Don't change the subject here. Why the hell was Madge standing up in the first place? She's too sick to stand up, we all know that!"

Peeta sighed. "Gale, I didn't tell her to stand up, okay? I was outside of the cave trying to deal with district eleven and she just popped out like she was perfectly fine and then she saved our life with her words... and then she started to turn green and next thing I know, she's smashing her head onto that stupid boulder. I am fixing the situation though. She just needs some medicine." Peeta said in a calm and placid voice.

I held up my hand. "I would still like an elaboration on this district eleven attempting to kill you story, please."

Gale shook his head at Peeta, ignoring my words entirely. "I told you to protect her, how hard was that?"

"Gale, I tried!" He yelled.

Madge groaned and said, "Gale, stop... Peeta was perfect."

Gale's fist were clenched tightly, his mouth was pressed into a thin line. Every muscle in his body was pulled tight, trying to keep his anger bottled up inside of him. I watched him carefully, my hand on my trident. I would be ready if he tried to attack Peeta. I would kill Gale if I had to right now. If Peeta's life was as stake, I would send my trident straight through Gale's heart.

"Gale, the medicine is on now. I can already feel the wound healing." Madge said quietly.

Gale glanced down at her and she turned her head so he could see. Indeed, the bloody mess a minute ago was now a small red lump. At this, Gale let out a breath and seemed to calm down immensely. He kept his eyes firm on the ground for a long time before he glanced back up.

"I'm going for a walk." He mumbled before he stormed off into the forest before we could stop him.

It was quiet for a long, awkward moment before Madge smiled and said, "I'll tell you about the boy from eleven now."

I had to laugh. "Finally."

* * *

**_A/N: This chapter took me a while to write! I hope you enjoyed it. I really dig the Madge and Peeta friendship. I wish they had a bigger friendship in the books. They make sense as friends. And Katniss and Gale are SO FUN to write like this! What do you think of their friendship/hateship? And of Madge and Peeta's friendship? And of this chapter in general?_**

**_Oh and I promise you, you will get a taste of how the capitol feels about this alliance pretty soon here. I haven't forgotten the capitol isn't happy with any of our four little friends! _**

**_P.S- For the sweet fan who made a cover for this story, I was unable to download the program because my computer is silly. So I couldn't see the cover! Could you put it on tumblr? I could see it there! Let me know!_**


	14. Chapter 14

There was a terrible storm that lasted for two entire days. We couldn't hunt, we couldn't even as much step outside of the cave. There was literally nothing to do. We (well the other three) ate what little food we had left, we slept a lot, and we talked. But I just tried to stay alive, mostly.

Every time Gale changed my bandage, the next morning, it was bloody again. I didn't know how much blood you could lose before you died but I was pretty sure I was riding on the edges of my life. I had a terrible fever and could barely nibble on berries without throwing them up. At least my head was okay from my fall the other day. That was the best I had going for me.

I think Gale knew I was dying. He didn't say it out loud but he would stop talking in the middle of our conversations just to look at me with these sad and intense eyes. Then, he would do something simple like push a strand of hair out of my face or lay his hand against my cheek for a moment. Then he would look away and start talking again, like he had never even stopped in the first place. The nasty storm didn't seem to be helping any of us, either.

On the second night, Gale and I sat curled up against the wall of the cave with my head pressed into his chest to keep me warm. My teeth would not stop chattering. Gale said my forehead was burning up but the rest of my body felt ice cold. Peeta and Katniss were asleep and we were on guard, although none of us thought anyone would try to attack us in a storm like this.

"I have never been so cold in my life." I said as I dug my head deeper into him, wrapping my arms around his waist.

Gale's hands rubbed my arms quickly to radiate warmth. "Everybody says that every time they are cold." He mumbled.

I looked up at him and gave him a glare. He returned it with an innocent smile. I rolled my eyes and laid my head back down. "You're a jerk."

"Only when I feel like making you mad."

"Which is all the time." I grumbled.

He laughed. "I can't help it... you're funny as hell when you're upset."

I smirked at this. "Why do you find _this_ funny?"

I felt him shrug against me. "Shiny and clean Mayor's daughter getting all wound up. Come on, even you know it's funny."

I smiled again but didn't have the energy to respond anymore. I was so tired all the time. Just as I was drifting off to sleep, Gale nudged me quickly. "No," He said gently, "Please don't fall asleep."

I stared at him for a long moment, trying to understand. And then it hit me. He was afraid if I went to sleep, I wouldn't wake up. I had to admit, the thought had been crossing my mind for the past few nights as well. I would be the next one to go. There had been no deaths since the girl from six three nights ago. And I was oh so tired, oh so ready to just give in to the peace that death would provide.

I swallowed hard. "But I'm tired." I said softly.

He shook his head, his eyes pleading with me. "Please, Madge. Don't go to sleep just yet."

I had never heard Gale plead before, I had never seen him look at me that way either. He was scared to lose me. Why? What did I mean to him? He had gotten pretty protective of me when I hit my head with Peeta the other day. What had changed between Gale and I? Because clearly, I wasn't just the girl who saved his life four years ago anymore.

"Okay." I finally said before forcing myself into a sitting position to keep myself awake. Gale helped me so he could still keep me warm without me having to lay down. His right arm wrapped around my shoulder while his other wrapped around my waist. Mine were crossed across my chest and my head was now leaning against his shoulder. He mindlessly played with my hair and I had to remind myself once again that all of this affection was just because I was dying.

"Do you miss District Twelve?" He whispered to me as we stared at the ceiling of the cave, watching water fall through the cracks.

"I miss my parents... I miss my piano. So yeah, I guess I miss it."

"You know, on nights like this, me and my brothers would crawl under this huge tree right outside of the seam. It would keep the water out enough that we could lay under it to watch the storm."

I had to laugh, despite the jolt of pain it sent through my body. "You're not supposed to sit under a tree in the middle of a storm. That's the worst possible place you can be."

Gale laughed and shrugged. "I'm still alive, aren't I? Anyways, one night it was raining like this, this downpour that just would not quit. We crawled under that tree and talked until the sun came up. It was the best night of my life."

"So... you definitely miss home." I commented.

"Yeah... but if we were there right now, we wouldn't be curled up under a cave together, that's for sure." He said with a smile.

I nodded. "You would still hate me."

He lifted up my chin gently so my eyes were forced to meet his own. "Madge, I never hated you. Far from it."

"What _did _you feel? After that day?" I asked him.

"I felt like I would never forget you. The girl who saved my life. And I would never be able to separate myself from you... I wanted to repay you, thank you, but every time I tried... I just couldn't, Madge."

"I still don't understand why." I mumbled.

He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. Then he opened them and said in a soft whisper, "We're from two different worlds, Madge. My words sounded cheap and I knew I didn't... I didn't measure up. I would always fall short. You deserved better. I couldn't say thank you because I didn't want to face that truth."

I swallowed and because I was dying and I would never get this chance ever again, I said the words that I had been thinking since the day I saved his life. Because he was supposed to thank me and we were supposed to become friends and then... we were supposed to become something more. So, I let them slip past my lips with ease, with a soft innocence that I had forgotten I had. My words floated through the night air.

"I could have fallen in love with you."

He didn't say anything. He didn't even nod his head. Instead, he leaned in and captured his lips with my own. He pressed into them quickly and sweetly but also passionately. His free hand rested on my waist while mine tugged at the collar of his shirt. His tongue slipped into my mouth and I let it, I let the fire build inside of me, I let his warmth surround me, I let myself crawl into this moment here with him, a moment I would never have again. My last kiss. With the boy who had only stole my first kiss a few days ago.

I couldn't think of a better way to go.

We kissed for what felt like a thousand years. When we both pulled away for air, our foreheads pressed together and arms still entangled, I said, "That first kiss was because I had never been kissed before."

"And the second was to distract Glimmer." Gale said quietly.

"And this kiss... was because I'm dying." I said with my eyes closed.

I heard Gale let out a laugh and I opened my eyes, pulling my head away from his so I could study him. He shook his head and said, "No_,_ _that_ kiss was because I wanted to."

* * *

When Gale awoke Peeta and I in the middle of the night to take the next shift, I was disappointed and annoyed to find out that the rain had yet to quit. We _needed _to hunt. With a sigh, we took our place at the edge off the cave. I glanced back at Gale who had Madge pulled to his chest and he closed his eyes before drifting off to sleep.

"It will be a miracle if she makes it through the night." I whispered to Peeta.

He looked back at her and nodded his head slowly. He shifted his focus to the floor and didn't say anything for a long time. Finally, he spoke up. "I don't...I don't want to be here when it happens."

I swallowed hard and stared straight ahead at the falling rain. The drops were so thick, you could hardly see anything. "Do you think it's time?" I asked Peeta. "Do you think we should end the alliance?"

He let out a shaky breath. "I don't know. I don't want it to come down to the four of us, you know?"

"Or even the three of us." I mumbled before looking back at Madge once more.

"We knew it couldn't last the whole time, right?" Peeta asked me hesitantly. He felt bad. He felt like he was breaking a promise but we how long could we all play pretend?

"Right." I assured him. "Gale knows that. We will leave once the rain calms down."

He sighed and I felt his arm wrap around my shoulders. I leaned my head against him gently and breathed in his scent. I had to avoid having my ear directly on his shoulder because it was still pretty damaged from the explosion. Our medicine had healed the outside but I still couldn't hear out of it.

Peeta's voice was hoarse when he spoke again. "She's a good person, Katniss."

"I know."

"I wish..." He began but then shut his mouth. He couldn't say it. Not here. Not now. He couldn't let the Capitol know how badly he wanted Madge to live too. How badly he wanted both of them to live.

"I know." I said, stopping his words before they caused us more trouble than we were already in. The thought made me remember something; at the beginning of the games, it seemed like the Capitol was going out of their way to kill Peeta and I. But now... it appeared as though they had left us alone. Were they no longer out to get us?

We didn't say much the rest of the night. We just sat together with my head resting on his shoulder and his arm around my shoulders. Quiet, peaceful and almost as if we weren't in the Hunger Games after all. But of course, we were. The rain stopped at around the same time the sun rose. To everyones surprise, Madge was still alive. She looked terrible, but she was still alive. Nevertheless, Peeta and I knew it was time to go.

I began. "So, Peeta and I were talking last night and-"

Gale put up his hand to stop me. "And you think it's best we split." He finished for me.

I nodded my head. "It just makes sense. We don't want it to be the four of us in the end, you know?"

Gale nodded. "That's probably for the best."

Madge had her eyes closed but appeared to be conscious. She coughed and then said quietly, "Good luck, District Four."

Peeta smiled and bent down to where she was sitting. They stared at each other for a moment before embracing. It was a sweet hug and I couldn't help but smile. Peeta had a connection with Madge. They were very much alike just as Gale and I were.

They pulled away and Peeta whispered something close to Madge's ear. Whatever it was, it wasn't for anybody else to hear. Madge nodded and gave him a smile. Peeta and Gale exchanged a nod. Now it was my turn for the goodbyes. I wasn't very good at them. In fact, I hated goodbyes. I hated them so very much.

I decided Madge would be easier of the two so I crouched down so we were at eye level. She met my gaze with a sad smile. "So, this is where the water stops putting out the fire, huh?"

"I guess so." I said simply and with a smile of my own. "Be careful with that one." I whispered to her before nudging my head towards Gale.

She laughed. "Always."

I patted her knee gently before standing back up and walking towards Gale. Wordlessly, he held his hand out for me to shake. When I grabbed it, he squeezed mine tight and didn't let go. His eyes found my own and he swallowed quickly, his nervousness evident.

"You're the one to beat, Katniss. Don't let the careers get to you. You're stronger than them, remember that."

I squeezed his hand back before releasing it. "I'm going to kill them, Gale. All three of them."

He nodded. "I don't doubt it."

Our stare lingered for a few more moments before I pulled away. Peeta grabbed our share of supplies and shoved them in our pack while I picked up my trident. We waved goodbye before we finally walked away.

We walked all morning and all afternoon without saying much of anything. Not even when we stopped to hunt. After we ate and were on our way again, I spoke up. "That was harder than I thought it would be."

"I just hope we don't have to kill them." Peeta said quietly.

"Where do we go now?" I asked him.

He shrugged. "No idea." And then, as if Finnick was answering our question directly, a parachute came floating down from the sky.

Peeta caught it in the air and ripped it open before I could so much as blink. The parachute had been boxed shaped and inside the box, Peeta pulled out two small white pills and a what appeared to be some kind of sewing needle and a light floss. We studied the contents for a good ten minutes, trying to figure out what in the world they could be for.

I sighed. "Leave it to Finnick to send us something like this."

Peeta nodded. "The only thing we would need a sewing kit for is to stitch up a wound and-"

"Madge!" I yelled. Peeta stared at me with his head cocked to the side in confusion. "It's for Madge! To stitch up her shoulder!" I clarified.

"That doesn't make sense. Why would Finnick send it to us? Why wouldn't their mentor send it to them?"

I thought about this for a moment, because Peeta was right. It didn't make any sense. And why would he send it to us when we were twelve hours away from the cave? He couldn't of gave us this parachute last night or the night before? And then... it hit me.

"He doesn't want us to break our alliance." I said to Peeta. "That's why he sent us this gift... so we would go back."

Peeta nodded his head slowly. "Well, that would explain it. But doesn't he realize we need to break it? So we don't end up as the final four?"

I shrugged. "I don't know...what should we do?"

He sighed. "We go back. Not because Finnick wants us to, but because we have something that could save Madge's life. We can't ignore that."

As much as I hated the idea of taking orders from Finnick, of running around the arena like his little puppet, I agreed with Peeta. We had to go back. What kind of people would we be if didn't? We promised ourselves we wouldn't let this arena change us. Now was our chance to prove that.

"We better get a move on then. Maybe we can make it back before dawn." I said. He gave me the most genuine smile I had ever seen and leaned in to kiss my cheek. I eyed him curiously and he just shrugged.

"You always say I've made you a better person or whatever but you don't need my help. You're a good person all on your own." He said simply.

I rolled my eyes. "Let's not stretch the truth now."

He laughed. "We really better get going. I don't know how much longer she has left."

So, we turned around and started going back the exact same way we had just come from. And as we walked, I thought about how Finnick wanted the four of us back together but what did the Capitol want? They had left us alone ever since we teamed up with Gale and Madge. Could it be the Capitol was in favor of our alliance as well? But why?

I spent the better half of the evening searching for an answer to this question. I wasn't getting anywhere until I remembered Peeta's comment from earlier. He had said _"I just hope we don't have to kill them."_

And this was exactly why the Capitol wanted us back together. They wanted us to last to the final four. They wanted us to be forced to kill one another, to turn on each other. It would make for good TV, it would make for good drama, it would be exactly what they wanted.

Finnick wanted us together as well but certainly not for the same reason as the Capitol. So what was Finnick's reason then?

When night fell, Peeta and I stopped to rest for a moment. We glanced up in the sky but once again, there were no deaths. Tomorrow would be an exciting day. It had been four days since somebody was killed, the citizens were probably getting impatient. We continued our trip back to the cave once the anthem ended and the Capitol logo disappeared from the sky.

A few more hours in, I was getting ready to complain to Peeta about how exhausted I was when his hand went to my chest, stopping me in my tracks. I looked ahead and saw what he saw. He yanked my by the arm and threw us behind a tree before we could be seen. From there, we could hear every word that was exchanged between the two tributes.

"You killed her? You killed that little girl?"

"I...no...I..." Clove stuttered on her words.

"You killed her!" Thresh, the boy from Eleven screamed.

"Cato!" Clove began to screech out, "Cato!" And then we heard the horrible and unforgettable sound of her skull cracking against what could only be a boulder. And then Thresh ran off in the direction we had just come from. Peeta pressed me closer to the tree to keep me hidden from his view. We were lucky it was dark out.

By the time Cato got to Clove, she was too far gone. He held her hand and begged her to stay with him, but nothing could be done. Her canon went off. It was silent for a long moment. I heard Marvel speak up.

"Come on, Cato. Let's go after him."

And so they ran off after Thresh. We waited a long time before we decided it was safe to move. We would definitely need to hurry now. We picked up our pace and were practically running through the woods in order to get to Madge in time. I had a feeling she wasn't going to be alive much longer.

It was a race against time now.

* * *

Images of moments flash through my mind. My fingers hitting the piano keys for the first time, my mother laughing as my father spins her around in her chair, dancing in the rain by myself, catching snow flakes on my tongue in the dead of winter. They fly by at warp speed and I want them to slow down, I want to remember every single one of them. I want them to stop going so fast.

My name being called at the reaping, my mother giving me the Mocking Jay pin, my outfit igniting on fire, my first kiss with Gale. These things flash through my mind as well. I am begging my mind to stop going so fast. I want to taste these moments again. I want to breathe them in for every thing they're worth.

My breathing is slowing and my eyes are working hard to stay open. I see Gale above me, his hands are cupping my face and he is repeating something over and over again. I can't quite understand his words, though and I'm too weak to try. I want to keep my eyes open but something is forcing them to keep shutting. I have no power. I am powerless.

A softness, a warmness, a calmness begins to spread through me. I invite the feeling, I soak myself in it. I can barely hear Gale now. It is as if he is an echo in my ear. I let words past my lips.

"Win for me." I say.

Then I'm sucking myself back into the feeling and I hear screaming. I know it's not my own screaming so I can only assume it is Gale. I want to tell him to stop and to fall asleep with me, to dive into this warm and calm world I've found but I can't open my lips again. I can't form words.

I feel something past my lips and something or someone tells me to swallow so I do.

And then, I fall backwards into an ocean of warmth.

* * *

_A/N: I JUST ENDED A CHAPTER LIKE THAT. I AM THAT CRUEL OF A PERSON. I know you're all dying to see what happens next so I'll try to update as quickly as possible. And I will ignore any questions regarding Madge's fate because YOU'LL JUST HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE TILL NEXT CHAPTER! Let me know what you thought, TONS of Gadge in this chapter because I feel as If I have been focusing on Everlark too much in these past couple chapters. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review with your thoughts, concerns, ect. I AM 12 REVIEWS AWAY FROM 200. CAN WE BREAK 200 PLEASE? Thanks for all the support guys!_

_P.S- The last section is told in PRESENT tense. I know you can't exactly just randomly switch tenses but I think it adds to the intensity of the moment so deal with it. I switched tenses but it won't happen again!_


	15. Chapter 15

I awoke slowly, like being pulled out of a deep sleep. And I blinked rapidly, completely confused by my surroundings. Where was my bed? Where was the grandfather clock that sat across the room next to my bedroom door? Why was I outside? And then, like a gust of wind, it all came crashing back to me.

I was in the Hunger Games.

Gale appeared above me and he cupped my face gently into his hands. "You're...you're alive." He said as if it was the most astonishing thing he had ever said before.

His words confused me until I remembered that not only was I in the Hunger Games, but I was dying from a wound in my shoulder. I glanced over at my shoulder now and saw that it had been stitched up. And my fever... it was gone. In fact, I could barely feel any pain at all.

"Yeah, I'm alive." I said with a smile.

He let out a laugh and continued to cup my face. "How do you feel?"

"I feel fine." I said quickly. "And I'm not lying like last time."

Gale laughed and I sat up. He pulled me into a hug that startled me but was welcomed all the same. I wrapped my arms around his back and his settled on my waist. His head was buried in my hair and I felt his mouth close to my ear.

"Thank you for not dying."

Now it was my turn to laugh. I pulled away and saw Katniss and Peeta smiling over at me. I let out a sigh. "I am so confused. I thought you two left."

"They did." Gale said. "But they came back. Their sponsor sent them medicine for you so they came back. They saved your life, Madge."

"Oh." Was all I said. "Thank you."

Katniss nodded. "The pills must've brought your fever down and took away the pain. Peeta has the most steady hands out of the three of us so he stitched you up. We've been waiting for you to wake up for a few hours now."

"We were worried we were too late." Peeta finished.

I smiled. "You brought me medicine. But our alliance was over. You didn't need to do that."

Katniss shrugged. "No. But we did."

"Again, thank you, guys." I said sincerely.

"Now that you're alive, we decided it's probably about time we all bathed. We are headed to the stream now." She said.

"I don't know if Madge can adapt to the stream. She's used to showering in expensive, stainless steel bathtubs, after all." Gale teased.

I slapped him in the arm and he winced. Then I said, "Let's go."

The water was colder than I was expecting. We all left on our underclothes to make things less awkward. I brushed out the many tangles in my hair with my fingers and watched as chunks of it fell out. It definitely wasn't used to going this long without a proper wash. I didn't want to comment on this, of course. It would only result in more ridicule from Gale, who was used to only bathing once a week or so.

I spotted him further down the stream, dipping his head back and wetting his own hair. The muscles on his arms were more defined from the way he was holding up his body and it took me a second longer to look away than it should have. Of course, Peeta happened to be right next to me.

"Stop staring and just go kiss him already." He mumbled into my ear.

I splashed him and told him to keep quiet. He snickered and then turned away from me. I rolled my eyes and dipped my head under water again. It was freezing but yet so refreshing. It cleared my mind.

After my body went numb from the cold, I stepped out and laid in the sun, letting it dry me. I shivered and held my arms tight to my chest. Gale stepped out and laid down next to me, snickering at my chattering teeth. I thought about glaring at him but I was too cold to even make the effort of turning my head. After about a half hour, my body finally felt warm under the sun. I closed my eyes and let myself relax.

It wasn't until Gale's hand shook my shoulder that I even realized I had fallen asleep. I must've been still recovering from my near death experience. I was beginning to feel like all I ever did anymore was sleep. We traveled back to our cave to discuss what our next move would be. We sat on the floor of the cave in a circle.

"We know we can't stay here and hide forever. Besides, Thresh knows where we are and now that he's killed Clove, there's nothing stopping him from coming after us." Katniss said.

"She's right." Peeta said, "He only kept me and Madge alive as a one time favor... for Rue. Now, it's fair game again."

"There's four tributes left and there's four of us." Gale noted. "We can at least take Thresh and the girl from five."

"I won't kill Thresh." I said quickly. "Not after he kept me alive."

Gale sighed. "Okay, fine. I'll kill Thresh."

Katniss shook her head. "Nobody's killing Thresh. Let him fight it out with the careers. I can't do that. He cared about Rue."

Gale swore under his breath. "This isn't some children's game! You can't just pick favorites and decide who kills who because you're too much of coward to do it yourself. You all need to grow up and just deal with it!" He yelled.

Katniss rolled her eyes. "Sorry, some of us are actually human, Gale. Some of us actually _feel_."

"There's no room for feelings." He snapped.

"Then kill us all right now, Gale. That's what has to happen in the end anyways, right?" Katniss challenged.

Peeta and I spoke up at the same time. "Stop it!" We both said.

He looked at me and smiled. We were wired the same way. While Gale and Katniss seemed to thrive on conflict, we only wanted peace.

"This isn't helping. You two always being at each others throats." I said, looking at both of them. "Let's just figure out our next move without any arguing, deal?"

Gale and Katniss stared at each other for a long moment before they both looked away and then nodded.

"Good." I said. "Now, when was the last time we saw the careers?"

Katniss spoke up. "In the middle of the night last night. Thresh killed Clove and then they headed in the other direction."

"Do you think they'll go to the lake?" Gale asked.

Katniss shook her head. "I don't see any reason why they would. The supplies are gone."

"They are looking for Thresh." Peeta said. "So, they'll be on the move. Like we need to be."

I nodded. "We should get going then."

Gale stood up and began to gather supplies. "The first person we run into, we kill. No questions asked. I can't have you guys going all sappy on me again."

I exchanged a look with Peeta and Katniss. We knew killing Thresh was out of the question. It just felt... wrong. We wouldn't do it, regardless of what Gale said. "You can do it, Gale." I said quietly. "That's the best we can give you."

He sighed dramatically. "Fine. Now, let's roll."

We walked the remainder of the morning. We didn't have a destination. We were just looking for something, anything, anyone. Katniss and Peeta, who had spent the entire night running to get me the medicine in time, were struggling to stay on their feet.

"We need to stop." I said as I glanced back at them. They were panting and pale.

Katniss shook her head. "We're fine."

"No, you're not. You need some sleep." I said quickly.

Gale stepped towards her. "Madge is right. You both look like you're about to pass out. Let's just stop for a few hours. What's the rush?"

Katniss finally agreed when she saw that Peeta was struggling to even stay steady on his feet. They found a tree to lean against and were asleep within a matter of minutes. Gale and I sat at a tree across from them, sipping on water and eating berries.

"They brought me the medicine that saved my life." I said aloud. It was still astonishing to me. They didn't have to do that. Nobody would've blamed them if they didn't. Our alliance was over. Done. What little loyalty they had with me had been cut dry. That was the way these games worked, after all.

Gale sighed. "I'm glad they saved your life. But I wish... I wish they didn't have to be the ones to do it." He confessed.

I nodded, understanding. "Because now we can't kill them."

"But we have to... but we can't." He mumbled.

Wordlessly, my hand found his. Our fingers interlaced together. I didn't know what it meant, if anything at all. But it felt natural...good...real. I leaned into the tree and shut my eyes. "I wish this could all be over already."

Gale shook his head. "I don't." And then his eyes found mine. He swallowed hard and then asked, "Did you mean what you said, Madge?"

I knew what he meant but I needed to buy myself some time so I played dumb. "What?"

He rolled his eyes. "About... how you could've fallen in love with me. Did you mean it?"

I didn't know whether to lie or tell the truth. I could write it off as just me babbling off in my near-death state. Or I could tell him the honest and cold truth; I could have most definitely fallen in love with Gale Hawthorne.

Still could.

He was staring at me in a way that made me forget how to breath entirely and I looked away quickly, fighting to hide the blush that was appearing on my cheeks. "I was dying, Gale..." I trailed off.

He smirked in the most adorable way and I dug my fingernails into the dirt to keep myself from doing something stupid like kissing him. "So you don't think you could have fallen in love with me?"

I opened my mouth to respond but nothing came out. Gale chucked and I elbowed him in the side with my free hand. "I don't know what you want me to say."

"The truth." He said simply.

I laughed. "The truth is you're the most frustrating person I've ever met."

He smiled. "Good. Then I'm doing something right."

I couldn't hide my blush this time. We talked under the tree for a longer while, speaking of home and good memories that somehow eased the pain of being in the arena. Our hands stayed interlaced the entire time, holding tight to whatever we had left of us.

When Katniss and Peeta woke back up a few hours later, we continued on our journey. To where, we weren't exactly sure. But it didn't matter. We would eventually run into someone and do what we had to do: kill. The very thought made my stomach twist and flip around. I hadn't killed anyone yet. And there was this part of me that wanted to keep it that way but I knew that was nearly impossible. Especially if I wanted to win.

As we walked, I thought about that. _If I wanted to win. _Did I want to win? I did at first. But now... now after I had gotten to know Gale and Peeta and even Katniss... I wondered if dying would be the easiest route. Could I live a normal and happy life knowing they had to die in order for me to win? Was the prize worth the cost?

As I was thinking this over, Gale yanked my arm and literally pushed me behind some bushes. The force made me knock over Peeta as well and we laid on the ground in a tangle of legs and arms. I went to yell at Gale and ask him what he thought he was doing when I heard it. I heard Marvel's voice.

"Well, well, what do we got here? The boy from twelve and the water girl from four. You two in love or something?"

He didn't see me or Peeta. That's why Gale had pushed me. So I could hide. The thought made me angry. Why did he treat me like I was incapable of handling a tribute? I wasn't that horrible with a weapon.

Before the games began, everyone had reassured me that I was strong, stronger than I thought. But Gale treated me as if I was weak and helpless. The very thought made me angry enough to fuel something inside of me. Something big. If Marvel hadn't spotted Peeta and I yet then we were going to use that to our advantage.

"Where's your partner in crime?" Gale asked Marvel.

"Oh, doing his work with that boy from eleven." Marvel replied. Just then, we heard the sound of a canon go off. Marvel laughed. "Already done."

"Could've been Thresh killing Cato." Katniss snapped.

"Possibly. Except I know Cato. And he knows how to kill."

I heard the sound of metal against metal and popped my head up just enough that I could see what was going on. Marvel's spear and Katniss's trident were being used as swords. Gale tried to set his arrow in the bow but Marvel whipped his foot around and sank it into Gale's gut. Gale struggled to breathe and dropped the bow and arrow. Katniss distracted Marvel again when her trident almost went through his stomach.

I turned to Peeta and asked in a hushed whisper "Do you have that net with you? The one you use for fishing?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"And can you make a trap out of it? Like something to trap Marvel in?"

He nodded again. "I'm not the best with traps but I could make a basic one probably if we climbed up a tree."

I looked around and spotted one about ten feet back. The bushes concealed it from Marvel's view, too. We crawled towards it and I began to climb my first ever tree. Peeta threw a chunk of rope at me and gave me instructions on how to hang it in order to entrap Marvel. I nodded and did as I was told, trying to appear strong and steady but my feet kept slipping on the thin branches. I spotted Gale and Katniss and watched as Gale grabbed a hold of Marvel's waist and sent him flying to the ground on his back.

Katniss was on the ground as well and she appeared to have a head wound of some kind. I had to act fast. I glanced down at Peeta and he mouthed to me that he was almost done. I nodded and took a deep breath before glancing back over at Gale and Marvel. They were engaged in a full on wrestling match, weapons laying besides them. I had to get Gale's attention without attracting Marvel's as well.

Just then, Katniss looked up and somehow, she spotted me. I motioned for her to join me and she shook her head, confused. I sighed and pointed at Marvel and then motioned back towards me. I held up my sling-shot and pointed down at Peeta's net, although it was mostly hidden in the ground with leaves and dirt by that point. Katniss finally caught on and nodded her head slowly, the blood dripping down the sides of her face.

She stood up, a little unsteadily. She somehow managed to get Gale off of Marvel and with one simple look and a tiny nudge of her head, she got Gale to follow her as they slowly started making their way towards me. Gale had yet to spot me, which was good. The less he knew about me being in a tree attempting to trap and kill Marvel, the better.

Marvel, who thought they were running away, followed them with a smirk playing on his lips.

"You can't run away and hide anymore." He said slyly.

"Please, Marvel... don't kill us." Katniss begged and I winced. Her acting skills needed some work.

Gale glanced at her and although he had no idea what was going on, he played along. That was when I realized it. He trusted Katniss. He trusted her enough to go along with whatever crazy plan she had. Her plan was actually _my _crazy plan but Gale didn't know that yet.

"Marvel, let's just work out some kind of deal. We know where the other tributes are. We could lead you to them." Gale said, his lie sounded far more real than Katniss's.

"Yeah, right." Marvel laughed.

Katniss continued to slowly back up and Marvel followed her steps carefully, his spear held tightly within his hands.

This was when Gale stole a dangerous glance backwards and noticed Peeta, hiding behind the tree I was in. He looked around for a second before his eyes drifted upwards. He spotted me. His face seemed to drain of color when he saw my loaded sling-shot.

By this point, Katniss had taken a step to the left of the trap but Marvel walked right into the line of it. The net instantly wrapped around his body and flung him high into the tree. Without letting another moment pass, without letting my heart reach my head, I flew the stone with my sling-shot right into Marvel's temple. It was a heavy stone with sharp edges. The second it hit him, I knew he was dead.

I had just killed my first tribute.

* * *

Gale and I stared at the trap, breathless.

"When did you build this?" I asked.

Peeta came out from behind the tree and smiled. "Me and Madge came up with a plan while you two were fighting to your death." He handed me some bandages for my head and I applied some of our medicine on the wound before applying them.

Gale helped Madge out of the tree and when her feet hit the ground, he glared at her. "That was stupid. But really smart. But stupid."

Madge smiled. "You're welcome." But her smile didn't seem to reach her eyes. I knew how she felt. Killing wasn't easy. It was nearly impossible, actually. And it would never leave you. Their life was a scar on your body that would never fade away.

Gale exhaled and pulled her into his chest. "At least you're not the dead one."

Madge pulled away and shrugged. "It wasn't that dangerous, Gale. I sat in a tree."

Peeta laughed as he untied his net. "It was a smart plan, though. You sure know how to act fast, Madge."

This seemed to get her to really smile.

With a sigh, I counted the remaining tributes on my fingers. "Cato. Foxface. And us. Six left."

"We need to get the girl from five first. Then we'll worry about Cato." Gale said.

"Unless Cato is actually dead and Thresh killed him." I said but even I knew that probably wasn't the case.

We decided to make camp for the night, even though it wasn't even dark out yet. We needed to eat though and we definitely all needed sleep. Gale caught us a squirrel and I made a fire. I didn't even worry about smoke. If Cato or Foxface wanted to come after us, then I would welcome them. It was time we finished these games, anyways.

After we ate, Peeta and I took the first watch since we had our little nap earlier. We laid on the ground on our backs, side by side. It would be a few hours before the anthem still. With a sigh, Peeta started the conversation.

"So, I never got to ask you how your day with Gale went."

I laughed. "You mean you forgot to ask me after you almost got killed by Thresh and then by Gale because Madge was wounded? How rude of you." I teased and Peeta nudged me in the side. "It was good." I said with a shrug of my shoulders. "It's weird. I don't always agree with him but I understand him... I get why he does the things he does. I know that makes no sense but... in this weird way, we connect."

"No, I get it. You're wired the same way."

I nodded. "How was your time with Madge?"

"Great... we talked a lot." He said vaguely.

"What did you talk about?"

Peeta lifted his head up and supported it with his hand, so he could look at me. "You." He said simply.

I did the same with my head. "Me?"

"Yeah, you." He paused for a long moment and then asked, "Katniss, do you know how I feel about you?" This confused me. What did he mean? My puzzled expression seemed to be an answer enough for Peeta. He smiled at me and then began, "You know how life just kinda happens?"

I still wasn't following.

He sighed and said, "Like, mothers beat their kids and people die and terrible things happen. They just happen."

I swallowed hard at the mention of _beating. _Nobody really knew about Peeta's mother and how she abused him physically and emotionally. How she was so mean to him. How, despite it all, he loved her fearlessly.

"Horrible things happen but life doesn't slow down or stop. In fact, it speeds up. And then all the sudden, life feels like it's moving at warp speed, you know? That's how I felt, anyways. Like the entire universe was moving as fast as lighting. And then I met you..." His eyes lifted and locked onto mine. "...and everything slowed down again. Life slowed down and the bad things didn't seem to matter much anymore. Because I had you to walk with me through them."

My heart had found it's way to the bottom of my chest. Peeta smiled softly and continued. "I'm in love with you, Katniss. And I know that doesn't change anything and trust me, I don't want it to. But...I just need you to know how important you are to me. I need you to know that I love you and I always have and regardless of what happens in these games, I always will."

Like a tidal wave crashing onto the shore, his words hit me, knocked me over, and pulled me out to sea. I was drowning in them, in everything they meant. _He was in love with me? _But.. why? Didn't he know? Didn't he understand that I never wanted to get married or fall in love? I didn't want that world. And how could he love _me_, of all people?

I stared at him, wordlessly. What could I say? What did this all even mean? I couldn't speak. I could barely even manage to breathe. My mouth hung open, my tongue struggling to form even a single word, a single vowel.

"Like I said, I know it doesn't change anything. I just.. Madge got me thinking about it and I thought it was time I tell you." He laid back down on his back as if nothing had happened. As if he hadn't just confessed his undying love for me in front of the entire nation of Panem. As if he hadn't just told me I made his world spin again.

I laid back down as well, because I didn't know what else to do. And we didn't speak for a long time. We didn't touch either. But every time I glanced at Peeta, he didn't appear uncomfortable. He appeared... relaxed. As if he had been wanting to say those words for a long time and finally, he had.

"Peeta," I finally whispered.

His head turned towards mine and he waited for me to continue. I wasn't sure why I had said his name or what I was planning on saying next. But with face locked on my own, with his confession fresh in the air, I said, "Thank you."

"For what?" He asked.

"I don't know." I said with a nervous smile. "Just... thank you."

He shrugged and touched my cheek gently with his thumb. Then his hand dropped away and he looked back up at the sky. _Thank you for being my friend,_ I thought. _Thank you for being you._

_Thank you for loving me._

* * *

**_A/N: THE FINAL SIX. DUN DUN DUN. I put some big Peeta/Katniss stuff in this chapter since I've been pretty heavy with the Gale/Madge lately. How did you feel about this chapter? About Madge's plan and her first kill? What about Peeta confessing his love for Katniss? What do you think is going to happen next? :) Leave a review if you would! And thanks for all the reviews thus far!_**

**_P.S- The girl who designed the cover for this story, it's SO CUTE and you're SO sweet for doing that! I love it! But if you don't mind, I'm going to keep the one I have just because it's simple really! :) But yours is lovely and thanks so much!_**

**_P.S.S - sorry for any mistakes. I REALLY wanted to get this chapter up tonight so I proofread it quickly. _**


	16. Chapter 16

Thresh and Marvel's faces were in the sky that night. Eighteen tributes dead and gone. Only six of us remained. And only one of us could win. No matter how we rolled the dice, how many hours longer the four of us stuck together, we all knew the truth; there could only be one victor. And I would do everything and anything to make sure it would be Peeta.

I had formed connections, if not friendships, with Gale and Madge. But I knew that didn't matter in the end. I would have to kill them. I had no other choice. Alliances could only go so far. Because of this, I was trying my hardest to distant myself from them. I would often ignore their conversations, pretend to sleep so I wouldn't have to be included. Peeta, on the other hand, seemed to be getting closer to them than ever before.

When we all ate breakfast the following morning, Madge and Peeta threw berries at one another, laughing like little children. I wanted to yell at him to stop, I wanted to remind him that he was just making this harder for himself in the end, but I couldn't. Not in front of them. Gale watched them with the same look of apprehension that I had. He, of course, was thinking ahead like I was and he knew now wasn't the time to be playing around with one another.

"We should get moving again." He said loudly, interrupting their fun. Madge had a berry in her hand in mid-throw. She tossed it at Peeta anyways and then they both laughed. Gale sighed dramatically.

"He's right." I added. All three of them stared at me.

"What?" I asked, suddenly defensive. I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Just weird. You agreeing with Gale for once." Peeta said with a playful smile.

"Yeah, well... don't get used to it. Any of you." I exclaimed before standing up and securing my pack.

We walked all morning before we reached the lake. We didn't really expect any tributes to be there but we needed to look anyways. I pointed out the destroyed supply pile to Peeta and Madge. It looked like the remains of a fire pit, black ashes piled high on the ground, scraps of metal and other materials laying around in a tangled mess.

We reached the water and stopped to fill our canisters. I looked around in anticipation for either Cato or Foxface but the place seemed entirely deserted. That was, until I noticed a movement from the trees about fifty yards away from us. I squinted and saw it again. Somebody running and hiding behind the trees. She stuck her head out and when she noticed I had spotted her, she took off running at full speed.

I didn't want to chase her. I didn't want to kill her. But, I wanted to end these games for once and for all. The sooner she was out of the picture, the easier this would be.

"Foxface is over there! Let's go!"I called before sprinting off towards her. It took a moment before they all followed me, their footsteps behind my own. Gale appeared beside me and ran ahead, leading the pact of us. I wanted to roll my eyes because he just had to be the leader, didn't he? But it surely wasn't the time to be bickering with him so I kept my mouth shut.

We raced in the direction of Foxface but she was nowhere in my line of sight. She was quick on her feet. I glanced to my left and right as I sprinted forward but still she was nowhere to be found. I spotted her hiding behind a tree about thirty feet ahead of us and I took off in a dead sprint. I reached the line of trees that I had spotted her at but yet again, she was gone.

"Over there!" Peeta yelled before he veered to the right and sprinted ahead of all of us. I saw her then, standing still, staring at us a hundred feet in front of us. Why was she no longer running? Peeta had the lead now as he raced towards her. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

And then, I realized what it was. A thin metal wire a few inches up from the ground by the trees that Foxface was near. She had tied it to the base of two trees so one of us would trip over it. Just as I went to warn Peeta, I watched as he tripped over the wire and fell to the ground, back first. He cried out in pain instantly and was holding his leg. He must've twisted it. I jumped over the wire and went to his side. The blood I saw on his leg confused me. Why was he bleeding? He had just tripped!

Peeta ripped something from the back of his leg with a cry of agony and my stomach dropped down to my toes. Not only had Foxface tied the wire to the trees in hopes of us tripping over it, she had also planted her weapons deep into the ground, serving as spikes for whoever fell. The sharp edge of a thick sword was what Peeta's leg had landed on.

I launched up from the ground to attack Foxface but Gale was one step ahead of me. He already had her in a headlock and she was struggling to get free. She had planned this entire thing, I thought to myself. She purposely had me spot her so we would chase after her and trip over the wire. Gale looked at me and nodded and I stabbed her with my trident before she even had time to take another breath. He dropped her slump body to the ground and I turned away. I didn't want to have to watch her die. Not after I had been the one to stab her. I heard her canon a moment later and tried to swallow down the lump in my throat.

Running back over to Peeta, I quickly attempted a tourniquet with a branch and a shred of my jacket that I tore away with a knife. He was moaning in pain and I was suddenly cursing Finnick and Madge and my good intentions. Because if we hadn't given that medicine and stitching kit to Madge, I could've used it with Peeta in that moment.

"What do we do?" I was yelling as I held Peeta's head to my chest with my hand.

Gale looked around and then, with a sigh, he said, "We can't go anywhere, obviously. So...we wait. For Cato to come to us."

Just then, the sound of trumpets filled the arena. A message to the tributes. I listened closely as Claudius's voice boomed through the trees.

"Congratulations on our five final tributes of the seventy-fourth annual Hunger Games!" I swallowed hard. Final five. "I would like to invite all five of you to a feast tonight at the cornucopia! You will find something you desperately need there so it would be in your best interest to show up. Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be _ever_ in your favor!" His voice clicked off and after a moment of static, it was quiet in the arena again.

Gale laughed. "Well, there we go. Guess we won't have to wait long."

"This... this thing with Cato." I growled, "It ends tonight. He _dies _tonight."

Gale nodded. "It will, Katniss. It's about time we take him down."

I played with Peeta's hair and looked down at him cradled in my chest. He was breathing hard and losing a lot of blood. He was still conscious, however.

"Hey, Peeta." I whispered softly into his ear.

"Watch out, there's a wire there and you might trip." He teased weakly, his eyes struggling to stay open.

I let out a laugh and pulled him even closer to my chest. "We killed her, Peeta."

"Oh. Okay." Was all he said. Then, he added, "Can I go to sleep now?"

"Only if you promise me you'll wake up." I whispered, my voice cracking. "You...you can't leave me. Please, don't leave me."

He smiled softly, "I'll never leave you."

And then he fell asleep inside of my arms. I leaned against the trunk of a tree and watched his steady breathing, making sure it never slowed down or stopped entirely. And as I held the boy who claimed to love me, the boy who was willing to sacrifice everything he was in order for me to live, I wondered what I did to deserve him. I wasn't Madge. I wasn't kind and quiet and caring. I didn't posses any of the qualities that would make a person want to stick around. But yet, Peeta did stick around. He always stuck around.

Madge came up and sat down next to us. She kept a safe distance so she didn't appear to be hovering. She glanced at the sleeping Peeta in my arms and smiled softly. "He's going to be fine, you know." She said.

"I know." My voice sounded sharper than I intended it to.

"Katniss," She said softly and I turned towards her. Her eyes met mine. "We all know what happens after we kill Cato... but that doesn't mean I don't care about Peeta. Or you."

"Well, you shouldn't care." I said quickly. "Because, the more you care, the harder it's going to be."

"It's going to be hard, regardless, Katniss." She said sharply. "We could've never formed an alliance and it would still be hard. _Killing is hard!" _She cried. "But you can't stop me from caring about people. It's who I am." She stood up and walked off, leaving me feeling even worse than before.

The morning turned into the afternoon and the afternoon faded into the evening. Peeta didn't wake back up until the sun was going down. He smiled up at me but I could tell he was still in so much pain. My hand laid against his cheek.

"How are you feeling?" I asked him, even though I already knew the answer. He had been stabbed in the leg. Of course he was feeling horrible.

He shrugged. "Better. Now that I see you're safe."

I laughed and rolled my eyes. "_You_ get implanted with a sword and you're worried about _me_ being safe."

"Katniss." Gale called from behind me. I turned to face him. "We better head towards the cornucopia."

"In a second." I said before turning back around towards Peeta. His hand came up to grab the one I had on his cheek. He held it tightly before pulling my hand down. "You need to go. I'll be fine."

"I know you will." I said quickly. I leaned down and lightly pressed my lips into his own. Just a peck. Just in case I died out there with Cato.

We pulled apart slightly and Peeta's eyes found my own. He took a deep breath before he grabbed my face and pulled me back towards him, our lips colliding once more. This time, the kiss was deep and ignited with passion and fear and a million other emotions we were afraid to feel. It was pleasant and never ending. His hands slid down my face to my neck, from my neck to my waist. My own hands were pulling at the collar of his shirt. I leaned over him to get closer, being careful not to lean on his leg. I didn't want to ever stop kissing him. I just wanted him closer, I wanted to feel the fire inside of me burn brighter, I wanted to never let this moment end. After a perfect eternity, Peeta broke away, panting hard from the lack of oxygen. I was practically on top of him, one of my arms holding myself up.

He smiled and pressed his forehead into mine. "That was a nice goodbye."

I smirked and pulled away, sitting back up. "It's not goodbye. I'll see you soon. Just don't die, okay?"

He shook his head. "After a kiss like that? I wouldn't dare."

I rolled my eyes before standing up and walking over towards Gale and Madge. They had apparently seen the entire kiss, judging from the way they were both trying so hard not to laugh. I glared at them, which seemed to make them have to work even harder at stifling a laugh. "Let's just go." I said quickly, walking away from them and hiding my blush.

* * *

Since we were so close to the cornucopia already, it wasn't a far walk. We hid behind some trees while we waited for Cato and for this "feast" to begin. With my heart beating outside of my chest, I stood behind Gale, my hands holding onto his arm tightly.

Katniss was a few feet from me, her eyes closed and her body hidden behind the base of another tree. I knew she was scared of being away from Peeta for too long or of not making it back. She was afraid to lose him. In the same way that I was afraid to lose Gale.. In the same way that I was afraid to lose all three of them, actually.

Just then, a table rose up from the ground of the arena slowly. There was only two backpacks at the table. One was marked with the number four while the other was marked with a two. This didn't surprise me. Gale and I didn't exactly need anything at the moment. Not in the desperate way that Katniss did. I wondered what was in Cato's bag and how badly wounded he was.

The table clicked into place but we didn't move. We waited for Cato to come out first. Limping and wincing in pain, he appeared from behind some bushes and yanked both bags off the table, a spear in his hands as he did so. Gale spun around and out from the tree, lining up his arrow at Cato. He shot it but Cato was quicker than he appeared. He did a barrel roll on the ground to avoid the arrow and then stood back up, the color drained from his face. His leg was badly injured. Like Peeta's.

"Kill me. Four against one. Easy. I was always the one to kill, right?" He spat, his face now red.

Katniss spun out from the tree and held her trident out in defense. "You could get away still. Take our medicine. Peeta would die soon... and then what? You know you can't take Gale and I."

Once again, I was undermined. But I kept my mouth shut because I was still hidden behind the tree.

Cato laughed coldly. "I could easily take _you_, Katniss. You're all talk. Nothing but a pretty face with a whipped boyfriend at your side. Except... he's not at your side right now, is he? Maybe I'll go find him and finish him off... You just said it yourself that he's dying."

Katniss stepped forward but Gale grabbed her shoulder to hold her back. Now wasn't the time to attack. She hurled insults at Cato. "You won't get _anywhere_ near Peeta. I will tear you to shreds, Cato!"

He smiled and held out his hands. "I welcome it."

Katniss lunged forward and stabbed her trident into his chest. Except the trident fell to the ground. I squinted at Cato and noticed something hard and bulky under his jacket. Armor! He was wearing body Armor! A sponsor must've sent it to him. It only covered his chest, though. If we could figure out a way to kill him without stabbing him in the heart...

Cato grabbed the fallen trident and swept Katniss off her feet with it by dragging it behind her knees. She fell to the ground and Gale lunged forward to throw Cato to the ground as well. The weapons, like always, seemed to be thrown off and abandoned as Gale and Cato dueled it out with their fist.

Katniss picked up her trident but held it in her hands confused. She knew she couldn't throw it hard enough to lodge it into Cato's skull. Even if she could, there was no way she would get in a good shot with all the movement. She swallowed hard and tried to get Cato off of Gale. This resulted in a punch to her face. She stumbled backwards, blood oozing from her nose.

_You're strong. And smart. And brave._

That was what my mother had told me the day of the reaping, when she was saying goodbye. I wasn't any of those things! I wasn't strong. I had to team up with Gale just to keep myself alive, and then I couldn't even kill anyone, even when Glimmer told me to. I nearly died from a shoulder wound and barely managed to kill Marvel without breaking down into sobs. I wasn't strong, I was weak. I wasn't smart, I was stupid. I wasn't brave. I was scared to death.

Maybe just once... I could be those things. Maybe for one moment, I could pretend. I could put on this mask everyone expected me to wear. Maybe I could be the girl my mother thought I was. I saw the rock. Large and smooth, dark tinted. My fingers wrapped around it's cool surface and lifted it up into the air. I saw Cato's head in the mess of the darkening night. My heart was beating outside of my chest as I clung to the rock in my hands.

I was Madge Undersee, the female tribute for District 12. I was about to kill the biggest contender in the 74th annual Hunger Games with nothing more than a heavy stone. I was strong and smart and brave.

And I was a murderer.

With tears in my eyes, I brought the rock crashing down into his skull. The very noise of it made me want to take it back, made me want to press the reverse button and change my mind. The crack of his skull, the way his body instantly went limp, I wanted so badly to take it back. But then his canon fired and I knew there was no turning around.

Gale stood to his feet weakly and helped Katniss wipe off her bloody face. Then, they came to my side. I still had the rock in my hands and I was staring at Cato's lifeless body, the body I had killed. The second body I had killed. I couldn't move, I couldn't speak, I could barely breathe.

One of Gale's sturdy hands wrapped around my shoulder. "We need to go, Madge."

I didn't move or speak. I stayed right there, staring.

Katniss sighed. "They need to get to his body, Madge. Come on."

I didn't move or speak again. I heard them discussing what to do. Eventually, Gale swept me up into his arms and carried me back over to where Peeta was. I watched Katniss apply some green cream onto Peeta's wound before slipping a pill between his lips. Gale spoke to me but I heard nothing. Just a mass of fading words.

One death on your hands nearly destroys you. Two deaths? It rocks you to your core, rips out your soul, and replaces it with something so hollow and empty feeling, that you wonder if you ever really had a soul to begin with.

Gale slipped into his sleeping back besides me. He sat up, his chin supported by his hand. I tried to ignore him, but he was literally right there ,begging me to open up. But I was so broken, so completely shut off, that I was afraid to even open my mouth. I was afraid that I would crumble at the slightest movement.

"It's not easy. I pretend like it is but... it's not." He began. Murdering children. That's what he was referring to. I swallowed hard. "I know it sucks, Madge. And I know it hurts. But you can't just shut down. It had to be done. You did what had to be done."

"And now what? We turn around and kill them?" I finally spoke up, my voice a hushed whisper. I nudged my head towards Katniss and Peeta, who were about twenty feet away talking quietly as well.

Gale closed his eyes for a long moment. "We don't have a choice, Madge."

"And then what happens after that? We kill each other?" I said, my voice cracking.

"I already told you before the games started... I can't kill you, Madge."

I didn't know what this meant. We knew if Katniss and Peeta died, it would the two of us and only one of us could be crowned victor. Just like our feelings would have to put aside to kill Katniss and Peeta, they would need to be put aside again to kill each other. I had always assumed Gale would just kill me. There was no way I could kill him... I wasn't physically capable nor was I emotionally capable. Dying would be easier than killing him.

Dying would be easier than killing anyone.

"I don't... I don't want to play these games anymore." I said quickly, blinking back tears. "I don't want anyone else to die."

His hand found mine and that small touch of intimacy was all I needed to shatter what little composure I had. I began to sob uncontrollably, panic and fear and grief and shame slamming into me at full speed. I dug my head into Gale's chest as he pulled me into his lap and rocked me back and forth, his hand smoothing back my hair.

I cried and cried and cried. I cried for Marvel and Cato.. for Rue and Foxface and Thresh and Glimmer and Clove. I cried for all the tributes whose names I never bothered to learn. I cried because there would be more deaths, deaths that would shake me even more. Deaths that I couldn't possibly recover from. I cried until my throat was raw, until my face was sticky with tears, until there was nothing left inside me. I fell asleep like that, cradled in Gale's arms and with the weight of my sorrows nearly suffocating me.

* * *

We all awoke with the same pang in our chest. We looked around at one another, knowing the truth without saying it. This was reality. Today, we would have to turn on each other. We would have to kill one another. There was no way out of this. Today, we would murder our own friends.

We caught some fish and ate it for breakfast. Nobody really said anything. Madge didn't even eat. She just stared at the ground, biting her lip until it bled. After we finished, we all sort of just stared at each other, wondering who would be the first to say the words that we all knew were true but that none of us wanted to admit.

I eventually said them, because this was the beginning of the end anyways. "So, we give each other an hour and then meet back here?"

Gale looked at Madge and then nodded. "And everything ends here. We don't... we don't hold back. We do this fair and square. No hard feelings. We fight to the death. Simple as that." Even Gale, who always seemed so strong and sure, had a certain level of uncertainty to his voice.

"Okay. Simple as that." I said quietly.

Madge and Peeta were still dead silent. I stood up and secured my pack on my back before picking up my trident. I couldn't look at it without wanting to throw up. In an hour, it would have Gale's blood on it. And Madge's. Peeta stood up with me but stayed quiet. I grabbed his hand with my left and held the trident with my right. I glanced over at Gale and gave him a nod of my head. It wasn't nearly enough of recognition but we both knew the harder we made this goodbye, the harder killing each other would be. Peeta and Madge refused to look at anybody, their eyes glued to the ground.

Without a single word, we walked away. We were leaving as friends but in an hour, when we returned, we would be strangers again. We would be just two pairs of tributes trying to kill the other pair off. We would have to pretend like the last two weeks didn't happen. We would have to pretend like we didn't grow to know each other, didn't grow to connect and laugh with each other. We would have to stab each other and watch as the other person died right in front of our faces. We would have to become the monsters the capitol wanted us to be.

I was so mad at Finnick. If he hadn't sent us that medicine, we would've never went back. We would've never carried our alliance this far. I had never wanted to be put into this position! I wanted somebody else to have to do this, somebody else to have to kill them. What was the purpose of Finnick sending us that medicine? Did he want to watch us suffer as we killed our friends?

Peeta held onto my hand tightly, clinging to the last strands of sanity we had left. He still had spoken and it was starting to worry me. I needed him to be with me for this. I couldn't kill them both while he sat by and closed his eyes. I couldn't be the only one of us with their blood on our hands.

"You're with me, right?" I said quietly, turning to look at him.

He glanced up from the ground and met my eyes. He nodded. "I'm always with you."

I knew what his words meant. He was on my side. He would always be on my side. He would help me kill them because he had to, because their death was a necessity in sending one of us home. We didn't have to like it, but we sure as hell had to deal with it.

We walked about a mile in before we stopped. Sitting down on the ground, hand in hand, my head on his shoulder, we waited for the longest hour of our lives to pass so we get this over with and move on to the even harder decision; which one of us would live while the other one died.

* * *

_A/N: AH! THEY ARE THE FINAL FOUR. THE. FINAL. FOUR. Next chapter... well, I don't want to give ANYTHING away so I will just shut my mouth. What did you think of this chapter, though? Did you like it, love it, hate it? Any favorite parts or interesting parts? PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE comment! I want to get this baby up to 300 reviews before I end it :) I WILL have a sequel story by the way... because I can promise you, this story will end with a cliff-hanger :p Sorry, that's just how I roll._

_Anyways, THANK YOU for all your kind words so far and look forward to reading your reviews, like always. Love you guys!_


	17. Chapter 17

An hour really isn't that long when you think about it. Sixty minutes is all it consist of. Sixty minutes. An hour flies by when you're having fun or really interested in something. An hour passes quickly when you're in a deep sleep. But when you're waiting to kill two of your friends... an hour drags by in agony, like fingernails against a chalkboard, like skidding your knee on the sidewalk, it's the longest, most painful hour of your life.

Gale told me to stop pacing in circles but I couldn't. Every time I sat down, I felt the sudden urge to stand back up. Nothing could distract me, nothing could calm me down, nothing could make me feel like what I was about to do was okay.

"You're making me nervous watching you." He finally commented.

I stopped in mid-circle to narrow my eyes at him. "Get over it." I snapped.

Gale sighed and stood up from the ground, wiping his hands off on his pants. "You don't need to be nervous, you know."

I tried to laugh but it came out more like a cry. "I am about to attempt to kill my friends. Gale, I don't think I can do it. What if I just... let them kill me? I mean, you're going to have to kill me anyways, after we kill them, so why don't I just end this agony early and-"

Gale put his finger to my lips to shut me up. He pulled it away and set his hands gently on my shoulders, locking his eyes with my own. He spoke in a soft and soothing voice. "Madge, you're not going to let them kill you, alright? You're going to go home today. You're going to be the victor."

I stared at him, trying to make sense of his words. I shook my head slightly. "I don't understand..."

He sighed softly and gave me a sad smile. "I told you a million times, princess. I can't kill you."

I still didn't get it. "Okay, but what does that have to do with-"

"I'm going to die, Madge." He finally blurted out, his hands giving my shoulders a squeeze. "I'm going to kill Katniss and Peeta and then myself. And you're going to go home."

_No._

"Gale, stop talking like that." I said quickly, grabbing his hands off of my shoulders and placing them in my own.

His expression was soft and soothing, but it felt like nothing in the world could soothe me at that point. He said, "It has to be you, Madge."

I felt my voice crack. "_Why? _Why does it have to be me? It should be _you_!" I practically cried. "You're the strong one and the smart one and-"

"And none of those things even compare to what you are." Gale finished quietly.

I felt the tears stinging at my eyes. So many tears. All I ever did was cry anymore. "You're not _allowed_ to die for me, Gale Hawthorne. You're going to fight, fight for your life!" I said harshly, although the tears were slipping down my cheeks and my stern voice was losing its effectiveness.

He shook his head. "You saved my life once, Madge. It's about time I properly return the favor."

"And you saved mine! I was dying just a day ago!" I cried, covering my face with my hands so he wouldn't see me start to sob.

"It's not the same thing, Madge. Look, you're sixteen. You're the mayor's daughter, you have so much potential and drive and..." I shook my head and looked away but his hand grabbed my chin lightly and pulled me back towards him. "...and you can make a difference, Madge."

"If you do this," I cried, my voice sounding so empty and desperate in the big woods, "If you die for me, I'll _hate _you. I will _hate you,_ Gale!" My words didn't even make sense. He wouldn't care if I hated him because he would be dead. But it didn't matter. I was babbling and saying anything just to get him to change his mind. Anything at all.

His hands were now cupping my face, his thumbs reaching up to brush the tears out of my eyes. "If I _don't_ do this, I'll hate me too." He said softly. "Listen, Madge. Your father needs you. Your mother needs you. You can go home, you can win this thing! Go home to them."

I was sobbing. I was an uncontrollable mess. "You have siblings! You have to take care of them!"

Gale swallowed hard at the mention of his family. I was right and he knew it. He needed to go home to them. But he was sacrificing himself for _me._ I couldn't even begin to fathom how much they probably hated me in that moment. Gale coughed and then said, "Rory is ten times the man I was at twelve. He... he can do it." Gale was trying to convince himself that this was true, but even I could hear the way his voice wavered.

"This isn't right." I said quietly.

"None of this is." He whispered back. "Please, Madge. Win for me."

I could hardly catch my breath. I was crying instead of breathing. Sob after sob after gut wrenching sob. I was so torn. Did I even want to survive? Did I want to carry all these deaths around with me? I wanted to see my father again, yes. And my mother... my sweet and sick mother. If I died, would she able to carry on? They had wanted me to come home so badly. Could I throw it all away? My answer came to me slowly, creeping up on me.

No. I couldn't let them down. I had to win for them.

My hand found the Mockingjay pin that my mother had given me the day of the reaping. I unpinned it quickly and with shaky hands. My sobs had turned into whimpers. I swallowed and held out the pin for Gale. "If you're going to do this...then take this."

He looked at the pin and shook his head. "But that's yours."

"Yeah. And I want you to have it." I said sharply, blinking back the rest of my tears. "It will make you brave." I repeated the exact words my mother had said to me that day.

Gale took the pin slowly, examining it, before slipping it into the pocket of his pants. I had to look away so I didn't lose control of my emotions again. Biting my lip, I stared at the ground as if it was the most intriguing thing in the world. Suddenly, the longest hour of my life didn't feel so long anymore. I felt the minutes slipping away from me.

I would never see Gale again. He would die for me soon.

We walked back over to the lake and stopped only when we were about fifty yards away. Gale turned around to face me quickly and urgently. "Listen up," He began softly but sternly, "You'll stay back at first, okay? It will be easier for me to focus on Katniss if I don't have to worry about you getting hurt. Once I take her, it will be two against one for Peeta. You can peak and then you'll know when it's time." I hated the plan already. I shook my head but Gale ignored me. "You won't even have to touch him, Madge. I will do it all, alright? You can stay back for the whole thing, if you'd like."

"Gale," I breathed. I didn't want him to die. I didn't want him to die for me.

Gale ignored me and leaned in, pressing his lips into mine with urgency. His fingers brushed against my cheeks and his lips were so soft against mine. He pulled away far too soon. But only far enough so that he could see my face as he whispered the words I never thought I would hear. "I love you, Madge. And I don't know when that happened or how or what that even really means but...to whichever amount of love I'm capable of, to the best of my selfish ability, I love you. I've fallen in love with you. I'm never going to see you again so I want you to know that. I need you to know that. I love you." He said this all in one long sentence, never even stopping to breathe.

And then he kissed me again quickly. A small peck on the lips. And then he walked away from me and into the clearing. And I was left with a million thousand words on the tip of my tongue, a hundred kisses that never got to touch my lips, a lifetime of wishes and hopes and desires that somehow felt completely and utterly tied to Gale.

And he was walking away for the last time. And I hadn't even said goodbye.

* * *

"You know I'm not letting you die for me, right?" Peeta said as we walked back to the lake.

I sighed. There was no use fighting it. There was no use arguing over it. If he wanted to believe that I would honestly let him die for me, then he could go on and think that. But it wasn't true. Once we were the final two, I would kill myself before he even blinked an eye. I could stab myself in the heart if I gripped my trident up near the top of the handle. So, I lied. Because it was easier than fighting.

"I know. And... okay."

Peeta grabbed my arm gently and stopped us from walking. "Okay? So you're letting me?" His small and soft smile sickened me. It was as if the idea of his death brought him enjoyment.

"I can't change your mind. I've tried." I said quietly.

He nodded and his hand dropped down to my own, our fingers interlacing effortlessly. "You're going to grow up to be even more beautiful, even more passionate, even more impacting than you are right now, Katniss. And I love you. You know that, right?"

I did know. I did know that he loved me. That he thought all those things of me. But what he didn't know, what I failed to ever tell him, was that he deserved this chance at life ten times more than I did. He was patient and kind and could move people with just a few words. If Panem needed anyone as a victor, they needed Peeta Mellark. But these words, I couldn't say. Because then he would know that I wasn't really planning on letting him die.

"I know." I said with a soft smile. "And..." I trailed off, trying to find the right words to say. I was about to die and Peeta deserved more than_ 'I know'._ But could I say it? Could I tell him I loved him? _Did _I love him back? What even was love? "And you, Peeta Mellark," My words came on their own accord. "You will always be my favorite." I didn't know what that meant... but it was true all the same. Peeta Mellark would always be my favorite. Favorite everything.

We kissed again because it only seemed appropriate under the circumstances. It was quick but it left me wanting more, once again. I missed his lips the second they pulled away from mine.

"We began these games together..." He said, squeezing my hand tightly as we began to walk again.

"And we'll end them together." I whispered back, finding the warmth of his hand to be the only thing I would let myself feel. No fear, no sadness, nothing at all. Just the warmth from Peeta's hand. There was no time for tears or regrets or goodbyes. Getting Peeta home was my only goal now. I didn't want to think about my death that was only minutes away because... well, it would be too damn hard.

When we reached the lake, we stepped out into the open together, our fingers still intertwined tightly. Gale appeared a moment later, walking towards us slowly and with his head down. He wasn't afraid we would kill him yet and although I thought that was a stupid move on his part, he was right. I couldn't kill him while he was walking towards us. It wasn't right.

He stopped about fifteen feet away and looked up slowly, his gaze steady and true, but filled with fear. It would've matched my own but I was blocking out all fear. I was blocking out everything but determination. His fingers reached for his bow at the same time mine went for my trident. Peeta released my hand to grab his knife. Here was where all our loyalty ended. Here was where we killed our friends.

Peeta looked behind him for any sign of Madge. My guess was that Gale was hiding her. Probably a smart move for the moment. I kept my gaze glued on Gale, waiting for him to release the bow that he knew would miss me. He was doing it more as a signal to start this final battle, really. He knew I was quick enough on my feet to dodge his arrow. He let out a long and shaky sigh before he said the words that we were all thinking.

"I'm sorry."

And then his fingers quickly secured the arrow into the bow before he sent it flying towards us. I rolled to the ground to deflect it and pulled Peeta down with me. Laying flat on my back, I aimed my trident up and at Gales heart. It would be the fastest death and I didn't want him to suffer. _This is all for Peeta_, I reminded myself.

Peeta, my favorite.

Just as my trident was beginning to leave my fingers, I heard the loudest and most terrifying noise I had ever heard in my life. I screamed out of fear and the trident fell to the ground by my side. Out in the distance, I saw the trees ignite on fire, black smoke filling the air around it. And just as I was still figuring it out, the noise happened again and some more trees even closer to us ignited on fire. It wasn't just any noise... it sounded like when Gale and I blew up the career's supplies. Like an explosion.

An explosion!

Madge came running towards us, her throat screeching out a terrible sound. She was screaming something. "Move! Move! Move!"

Peeta and I were on our feet right in time. I watched the black object hurl itself from the sky and crash into the ground only fifty yards away from us. The ground erupted and the trees exploded into pieces, chunks flying through the air and tumbling all around us. The four of us ran blindly, not sure where to go to avoid the explosions. They seemed to be right on our tails, debris flying around our heads, threatening to knock us out with rocks and tree branches and the fire itself.

Peeta tripped and to my surprise, it was Madge who helped him to his feet before I could reach him. None of this made sense. Moments ago, we were killing each other. Now the world was exploding around us as we had to work as a team again. We ran and ran and ran, smoke catching in our lungs, fire breathing down our backs, explosions ringing in our ears. These weren't fire balls. Oh, no. These were much more powerful.

But why was the capitol even doing this? Why were they trying to kill us all? They had to have a winner! We did exactly what they wanted. We lasted until the final four so everyone could be provided with the sick entertainment of watching allies kill each other, _literally_ stab each other in the back. So, why chase us with explosions? And then, the thought hit me out of nowhere.

This wasn't the capitols doing. The arena was getting bombed.

* * *

I had been hiding behind the tree, trying to focus on anything but Gale and what he was attempting to do only fifty yards away when it happened. Out of nowhere, a bang. A bang so loud and terrifying, it could only be an explosion of some kind. That's when I noticed the trees in the distance that were caught on fire. And then, an explosion even closer to us. I could only guess that the next one was coming straight for us.

I had whipped around and ran towards them as fast as possible. Not just Gale. But Katniss and Peeta too. And we ran away from whatever was attacking us from the sky. We sprinted through the woods at full force, no instinct working harder than the one that screamed at us to flee. We dodged our heads away from flying trees and boulders, the explosions ripping apart the ground around us. When Peeta tripped, I stopped to help him up without even blinking an eye. He was my friend. And regardless of where the games had us just a few minutes ago, right then, in that moment, we were _all_ running away from the same demon. It was no time for betrayal. Not again.

We passed a side lake and I turned around just in time to see the water stretch out into the air, the bomb hitting it just right. The tidal wave of water came crashing down to the ground and whipped us right off our feet. I slammed my head into a tree as the current pushed me forcefully. At least it was pushing us _further_ away from the explosions. Once the wave passed through, the water calmed down and we were able to stand up again. Gale was limping and Katniss was holding her side. At least Peeta seemed to be alright. I touched my head and my hand pulled away bloody but it wasn't the time to worry about anything. We ran as fast as our broken bodies would allow us, despite the ground being muddy and much harder to run through.

We reached a part of the woods we had never been to before. It was some kind of cliff that dropped off suddenly. We panted and fell to the ground, looking around.

"The explosions... stopped." Gale panted.

But just then, a hovercraft with the capitol seal flew through the sky and lowered down to the edge of the cliff. All at once, we tried to run away, scrambling and screaming, our feet tripping over each other as we tried to escape...but the forest behind us... it was all on fire from the explosions! We were trapped.

The edge of my jacket was being pulled backwards and it took me a moment to realize that some kind of claw from the hovercraft had gotten a hold of me. I screamed and tried to flee myself from its grip but it wouldn't loosen. Gale turned at the sound of my scream and ran towards me, yelling my name. But the claw moved much faster than he did. I reached for him but he was too far back. He tripped to the ground, his hand still reaching out to me, his face contorted with pain.

"Madge!" He yelled.

The claw had pulled me back to the hovercraft and a pair of hands reached down to grab me. I kicked and clawed and screamed but they gabbed me none the less. I saw another claw come out from the left of me and it was able to grab Katniss and Peeta at the same time, clinging to their jackets. Gale ran for the claw now, trying to join them. If I was getting captured by the capitol, he was going too.

"Madge." A familiar voice said behind me. Just as Katniss and Peeta's claw reached the hovercraft and they were being lifted up, I turned around to see the familiar scruffy man that smelled of alcohol.

Haymitch.

"Wha-" I began to ask.

"MADGE!" I heard Gale's cry from behind me and I whipped back around. Another hovercraft had appeared behind him.

"Oh, no." Another deep voice muttered behind me, although it wasn't Haymitch's. "They got to him before we could."

"Gale." I whispered as a claw came out and grabbed his jacket. As the door of the hovercraft opened, I saw the face of none other than Seneca Crane. The head game maker.

"We need to go _now_!" The deep voice yelled from behind me.

"Gale!" I screamed as Seneca yanked Gale into the hovercraft and instantly knocked him out with the whack of a metal object. "NO!" I cried, readying myself to jump out of my hovercraft to go save him but Haymitch's strong hands held me back. I thrashed against him but his grip wouldn't loosen. Our hovercraft began to rise into the air. "GALE!" I cried again as the door to his hovercraft slammed shut. As we rose into the air, it grew smaller and smaller, appearing as just a white object on the edge of the cliff. And then, our door was closing as well. It locked into place and I hurled myself at it, screaming and crying and losing all control.

Whatever the hell had just happened...

It could not possibly be good.

* * *

**_A/N: I will not answer any questions pertaining to the plot! All of your questions will be answered next chapter, I am sure. Well.. not all of them. I will have a sequel to this story, that will continue where this leaves off. This chapter was the most exciting to write. Don't hate me until you know what's going on, by the way. I'm sure you'll all confused, which is good. You shouldn't have it all figured out yet. ANYWAYS, leave me a review with anything you want! I AM SURE YOU ALL HAVE LOTS TO SAY :)_**

**_I will update ASAP!_**

**_I LOVE YOU ALL._**


	18. Chapter 18

As if time had stopped entirely, I looked around at my surroundings, trying to make sense of the last five minutes. I was in a hovercraft. A claw had reached out and pulled Peeta and I into it. Also, the claw had reached out and grabbed Madge. However, a second hovercraft had reached Gale before ours could. Seneca Crane knocked him out before shutting the door.

We were in the air, flying away from the arena at what felt like an unreasonable speed. The ride was shaky and nauseating. Nobody had yet to explain to us what the hell was going on. The mentor from twelve, Haymitch, was there as well as Finnick. I would've probably hugged Finnick if I hadn't been so confused.

They were busy talking in hushed voices to the pilot, their backs turned to us. When they returned to our side, I was the first to open my mouth.

"Talk. Now." I said sternly.

Finnick sighed. "We rescued you."

"Well, you failed to rescue Gale." Madge snapped, crossing her arms over her chest as she slumped against the door of the hovercraft.

"We didn't anticipate the Capitol figuring out what we were doing so soon. We thought we would have enough time to get in and get the four of you out."

"Wait," I asked, "Figure out what? What did you even do?"

Finnick and Haymitch shared a long look before Haymitch took over the conversation. "We hijacked the games control room, shut down all the cameras, knocked out uncooperative game makers, and then bombed the arena itself as not only a distraction, but as a way to lead you four over to the cliff so we could pick you up."

I sighed. None of this was making sense. "Start from the beginning. What were you doing rescuing us in the first place?"

Haymitch pointed at Madge. "Mayor Undersee has been trying to contact me since the day her name was reaped. We've known each other for years, however. He actually was one of the founders of this plan."

"What plan?" Madge asked.

"The plan to break into the arena and save as many tributes as possible. Finnick and I and a number of other victors have been planning this for many years now. With his daughters name being drawn, it only made sense that he wanted this to the be the year we put the plan into action."

"My father has been planning this for _years?_" She asked, incredulously.

Haymitch nodded. "And when I realized that you and Gale were quite the pair of fighters, I knew it was a good year as well. I talked to Finnick and we decided the four of you had the best chance of surviving this long. We couldn't put the plan into action until most of the other tributes were killed. It's sad and we wanted to save everyone but that wasn't reasonable. We had to wait until the end of the games."

Peeta spoke up. "That's why you sent us the healing medicine, Finnick. So we would form an alliance with Gale and Madge."

He shrugged. "That was what I was hoping would happen. Luckily, it did. And when you tried to break your alliance, we couldn't let you. So I sent the medicine for Madge, knowing you would go back. We had to get you guys to the final four."

"We had someone working for us in the control room." Haymitch said. "That's how some of our team was able to get in and hijack it. They shut off all television connection and sent in the bombs."

I rolled my eyes. "Those bombs almost killed us."

Finnick snorted. "If you four were smart and strong enough to make it to the final, we figured you could outrun some bombs. If we had wanted to hit you, we definitely could have. We just needed them to chase you out of the woods and to the cliff.

Madge looked at the ground, her face scrunched up. "So, you got in and saved us but Seneca figured out your plan and got to Gale first?"

"Unfortunately."

Her eyes welled up with tears. "And they won't kill him. They'll torture him because they'll think he knows something." She said quietly.

Haymitch shrugged. "Honestly, Madge, I have no idea what they will do. But we will get him back."

"So, what's going on in the districts then?" I asked, thinking only of my family. "Everybody was watching the games and then the cameras just shut off? Are they still clueless?"

Finnick sighed and clasped his hands together. "Ever since Peeta declared suicide in the interviews, the districts have been... on edge."

"On edge? What does that mean?" Peeta asked from beside me.

"Well, Peeta's declaration defied all the rules of the games. The districts saw that as an act of rebellion, so to speak. And they thought if Peeta could rebel, so could they. There has been uprisings in a few of the districts already."

"Uprisings?" I gasped. I had hardly even heard of the word. Nobody rebelled against the Capitol. Nobody took a stand like that! Had Peeta's words really had that much of an effect?

Finnick nodded. "There was one in Eleven. After Rue died. And there was one in Eight. Gale announced he would kill himself for Madge earlier in the games today and I guess some of the people in twelve were talking about their own uprising...but nothing has happened yet."

Madge's face grew pale at the mention of her district and of Gale. She coughed and then swallowed hard, blinking quickly. "What now?" She asked.

"Well, right now, we are headed towards a bomb shelter for safety. We will soon be the most wanted people in Panem. We knew putting this plan into action would most likely lead to some kind of war and-"

"A war?" I yelled, interrupting. "We are in a war?"

Finnick rolled his eyes. "Just let me talk, beautiful. No, we are not in a war. But once words gets out about what just happened, I am certain more districts will begin to rebel and we predict a war is in the future."

All of this was giving me a headache. I pressed the palm of my hand into my head. I was supposed to just die. Peeta was supposed to win. All of this was supposed to be much more simple. I had never dreamed of us getting out together. But now I saw that it came with a cost. Everything came with a cost.

"My family is safe?" I asked.

Finnick nodded. "We sent them to the bomb shelter earlier today. Peeta's family... well they refused to go."

Peeta's eyes lifted up slowly and met Finnicks. I put my hand on his knee softly. The news didn't shock him. But all the same, it was upsetting. Peeta's family was different from my own. They were heavy drinkers. Peeta's mother beat him. They took their fishing business very seriously and it seemed like their children always came second instead of first.

"And my parents?" Madge asked. "Are they at the bomb shelter?"

"Your mother is there, yes. We haven't heard back from your father yet but last we did, he was at the Capitol, playing as a look out for those who hijacked the control room."

"So, you don't even know if he is safe." Her voice said quietly. It wasn't a question. It was a statement. She let out a sigh and mumbled. "Perfect."

Finnick and Haymitch looked around at our distraught and concerned faces. Finnick sighed. "You're welcome for saving you." He said sarcastically.

Haymitch laughed. "Yeah, you would think they'd be more excited. After all the fuss they made in the games about only one person being able to survive."

Madge rolled her eyes. "Gale was taken by the Capitol, my father is missing in action and we are about to head into a war so please, forgive me for not doing cartwheels right now." She snapped.

It was strange. To see Madge so worked up. I was used to her more quiet and calm behavior. Distress didn't suit her in the least bit.

Haymitch didn't seem to be affected by her words. He looked at her through narrowed eyes and said, "We didn't plan on Gale getting captured, princess. So suck it up and stop moping. We'll get him back, alright?"

She didn't respond, but the scowl slowly faded off her face and she uncrossed her arms.

It felt like an eternity before we arrived at the bomb shelter. Peeta was being uncharacteristically quiet but I had written it off because of his family not coming to the shelter and the shock of being rescued and all. He hadn't said much at all since we were pulled onto the hovercraft.

The door slid open and we were ushered out quickly and told to make a run for the door to the bomb shelter. Finnick was at the front of the line and he held the shelter door open for me. I smiled at him softly. I was grateful that he saved us, even if I hadn't showed it very well. It was all just so much to wrap my head around.

"Thank you. And not just for holding the door." I whispered.

He nodded. "You're welcome, beautiful. I'm glad I was able to save you both."

"Me too." I said before slipping under the door and down the steps.

The stairwell was cold and smelly. I reached the bottom where the wall turned to the right and walked down a long hallway. There were a few doors to my left and right but I heard Finnick call from behind me to keep going straight. I eventually reached a big, open room with some old chairs and couches, a TV, and a make-shift kitchen. This was where I saw my family for the first time since the reaping.

"Katniss!" Prim cried as she hurled herself at me, wrapping her tiny arms around my waist. She sobbed into my stomach, blubbering about how terrified she was that I wouldn't make it home to her. Honestly, I hadn't planned on it. And she knew that. The shame I felt in that moment was unforgettable. What kind of person gives up on her life when she has a family back home? When she has a little sister? I squeezed her tight and swallowed down my regret.

When she finally pulled away and wiped at her eyes, my mother stepped forward and placed my face into her hands. She leaned in and kissed my forehead and then pulled me close. I allowed myself to be wrapped up into her arms for just a moment before I stepped back. I didn't want her to figure out how terrified I was feeling.

Prim ran over to Peeta and hugged him as well. He beamed at the sight of her and spun her around in the air. She giggled and squealed and I couldn't help but laugh myself. This was what I was used to seeing; Peeta and Prim laughing and being carefree. I turned around and saw Madge had found her own mother. She was in a wheelchair and was a pasty white color, her bones skinny and fragile. Madge was whispering into her ear and she was nodding along to whatever she was saying.

And then I heard weeping from somewhere else in the room. I turned to the right and saw Haymitch talking to a women with thick, dark hair. She was the one crying. She had three children with her. Two boys and one adorable little girl. All of them had the same chocolate colored hair and when I spotted the oldest boy, he held such a shocking resemblance to Gale that I knew it was his family.

The women crashed into Haymitch's chest, sobbing and covering her face with her hands. Haymitch awkward patted her back. I swallowed hard. He must've just told her that they didn't get Gale out. I spotted Madge watching them out of the corner of my eye. I watched as she grew pale at the sight of Gale's mother losing control. I wondered if she would try to comfort her. Instead, Madge watched them for a moment more before walking out of the room entirely, shaking her head.

Something, although I'm not sure what, compelled me to follow her. I ran out of the room after her. I spotted her halfway down the hallway and called out to her. "Madge." She stopped and turned around slowly, staring at the floor. She didn't say anything however. I walked closer to her with hesitant steps.

When I reached her, she sighed and then glanced up to meet my gaze. "He told me he loved me today. And that he was going to die for me."I nodded, because I didn't really know how to respond. She continued. "And now he's gone. And he will be tortured. And I will _never _see him again."

"You don't know that." I whispered.

She shook her head and bit her lip. "He doesn't even know... how I feel. I never told him. And now, I will never get the chance." She swallowed hard and looked me square in the eye. "I need to get him back. His mother is in there breaking down and I can't... I can't handle it. I miss him. I miss him already and I know that's crazy but...he is a part of me now. And I _need_ him here with me."

I tried to place myself in her shoes. If Peeta had been captured, I would be saying the exact same thing. Because it's true. When you connect with someone, when you... love someone, they become more than just a person to you. They become a part of you. You feel funny when you're away from them, like there's this empty place inside of you that can't be filled. So, I understood Madge in that moment. Better than I probably had ever before.

"We will get him back." I said with a small smile. "I'll go myself if I have to."

She smiled for the first time since we had been thrown onto the hovercraft and then she pulled me into a tight hug. When she pulled away, she was still smiling. "Thank you, Katniss. For saving my life in the arena, for being here with me now... just, thank you. For everything."

"We're friends, Madge. I almost had to kill you today but... we're still friends." I smirked.

She laughed and together, we headed back into the main room with a secret promise between us. We would face this disaster together, we would fight to bring Gale back, we would protect the people we cared about, we would work as a team once again to kill the demons that haunted us with every step.

* * *

Someone pointed out the bathroom and I locked the door behind me before stripping down. I turned the warm nozzle in the shower only to find out that it was broken. Great. I turned the cold nozzle before stepping inside the small little shower stall. There was barely enough room for me to stand. With a gasp, I jumped back when the water hit my skin. It was icy cold and for such a crappy shower, it sure did have a lot of pressure. I finally got the courage to step back into the stream of water and forced myself to stay directly under it. It was freezing, yes, but somehow after a few minutes, it started to clear my head. I felt lighter... I guess I was just numb however. Physically and emotionally numb.

I scrubbed my scalp with my fingernails and found a bar of soap on a shelf connected to the wall of the shower. I cleaned myself off before turning off the water and drying off. I braided my blond hair down my back to get it out of my face. When I stepped back out into the main room, I saw a lot of people were getting ready for bed. Haymitch told me I would be rooming with my mother in Room One. I had noticed a few rooms down that long hallway. That must've been where the bedrooms were. I grabbed Haymitch by the arm and took him out into the hallway to talk. He swore under his breath at the way I practically dragged him.

"Let go of me, would you?" He snapped before yanking out of my grasp and fixing the sleeve of his shirt.

"How soon can we get Gale back?" I asked quickly, locking my eyes with his. This had been the question on my mind since he was captured. I wasn't whole without him. And that didn't make much sense, considering two weeks ago, we were practically strangers. But in those two weeks, we came together. And now we were unraveling apart.

Haymitch sighed loudly. "We don't even know where he is at yet, Princess. We can't go strolling into the Capitol blindly. Do you understand that people everywhere will soon be looking for us?"

"I understand that, Haymitch. But surely, you have a plan."

He snorted. "I didn't plan on the Capitol taking Gale anymore than you did. So, no, forgive me if I don't have some genius and well-sought out idea on how to get him back quite yet. It's only been a few hours, you know." He spewed his words at me, his eyes narrowed.

"A week?" I asked him, more gently than my previous tone. "Do you think we'll be able to get him back in a week?" I was on the edge of desperation now. There was this gap in my chest that wouldn't go away, this lump in my throat that never lessened, this quickness to my beating heart that never slowed down. How had he become so important to me in such a short time? I sighed and waited for Haymitch to answer.

"I really have no idea, Madge. I wish I did." He sounded exhausted. So exhausted. I realized in that moment that Haymitch had put his life on the line to save us. Surely, this plan wasn't safe. Surely, more could've went wrong and he could've been killed. And here I was, yelling at him and demanding he go get Gale back. Him and Finnick had been right on the Hovercraft when they implied that we were acting ungrateful. We most definitely were.

"Okay." I said nodding. And then I gave him a soft smile. "Thank you for everything you've done, Haymitch. You risked your life for me."

He stared at me for a long moment before swallowing hard. His gaze fell to the floor and he said, "You are just like your aunt, you know. You have the same fire, the same heart. Not to mention you look just like her."

It took me a moment to figure out how Haymitch knew my aunt. And then I remembered something I had never even thought of before. Haymitch was in the games the same year my Aunt Maysilee was. I had remembered my mother speaking of it in passing once or twice but I had never put all the pieces together until that moment. Is that why Haymitch saved me? Because he couldn't save my aunt?

"I've heard a lot about her." I said quietly, smiling.

He nodded. "I'm sorry she didn't win." And I could tell he meant it. It made sense then. Why Katniss and Peeta fought over who was going to die, why Gale had volunteered to die so I could live. Because they saw the lives of the victors, they saw their scars they tried so hard to hide. Winning the games wasn't something that came with an easy cost. The nightmares practically ate you alive. I wondered how many nightmares Haymitch had to live through, how many times he saw my Aunt Maysilee in his sleep, dying all over again. No wonder he drank so much.

"I'm not." I said simply. "Because then you wouldn't be here with me right now."

Haymitch squeezed my shoulder lightly. "You're one of the good ones, Madge." And then he let go and walked back down the long hallway. I sighed softly and turned on my heel, headed towards Room One, but a voice called from behind and stopped me.

"Madge?"

I whipped back around to see Gale's mother standing in front of me, her hand holding tightly to a little girl who must've been Gale's sister. She was staring at me with wide and curious eyes. I forced a smile onto my face. "Yes?"

His mother stuck out her hand. "I'm Hazelle, Gale's Mother. I don't believe we've ever met."

I shook her hand, although mine was sweaty and shaking. "No, we have not. Nice to meet you." I said politely.

The little girl bounced forward on her heels. "I'm Posy!" She exclaimed cheerfully.

I laughed and crouched down so I was at her eye level. "Nice to meet you, Posy."

"You're pretty." She said.

I blushed. "Thank you. So are you!" I said back.

She giggled and jumped back to her mothers side. I stood back up slowly. Hazelle sighed softly. "I want to thank you. For being so kind to my son in the games."

I wanted to run away and hide in a closet right then. I had kissed her son! She had watched me kiss him multiple times. She had heard him proclaim his love for me, for crying out loud. Unless the televisions had already been cut at that point. I wasn't sure. Either way, nothing could've been more embarrassing than standing there with Gale's mother.

"Thank you. He saved my life." I said simply.

She nodded and then whispered, "And you saved his, or so I've heard."

"He was almost caught coming out of the woods." I said timidly. "I just... helped him out a little bit. Got him out of trouble. It was years ago."

"Ah, that was you." Hazelle said with a smile. "He had told me at the time that someone had helped him but I just now put two and two together. When I got a call from the doctors that my son was lying on their table with broken body parts, I almost lost it. He told me a few days later that he would've died if it hadn't been for the girl who brought him to the doctors." She stared off in the distance, reliving the memory. "Thank you, Madge." She said, her eyes finding mine again.

I went to respond but just then, Finnick and Haymitch were coming back down the hallway towards me. I thought of my father and wondered if they had any information. I excused myself from my conversation with Hazelle to talk with them. She smiled and nodded before pulling herself and Posy away.

"What's up?" I asked them both.

Haymitch's face had suddenly gone pale and Finnick was staring at the floor, refusing to meet my eyes. My stomach immediately dropped to the very bottom of my chest. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

"Madge, we got a call from someone in the Capitol," Haymitch began gently. He never talked to me so gently! What was going on? "Your father..." He trailed off, glancing back down at the ground again.

I closed my eyes. "Don't say it." I swallowed hard as my mouth turned to sand and my chest began to weigh me down. But he had to say it. He had to say it or it wouldn't be real.

Haymitch closed his eyes and he spoke again, spitting the words out quickly to avoid the full impact of them. "Your father didn't make it back out, Madge. He was... he was shot and killed."

And my heavy chest turned to brick and I collapsed to my knees.

* * *

Peeta and I had bedrooms across from one another. He was bunking with Haymitch and Finnick, since his family hadn't joined us in the bomb shelter. My mother and Prim had already went inside our room. I sat outside the door, waiting for Peeta to go to bed so I could talk to him. He had been avoiding me, it seemed. He walked down the hall a moment later and I stood to my feet. He looked tired and worn and ten years older than he had just a night ago. He stared at me for a long moment before reaching for his bedroom door. I grabbed his wrist.

"Wait." I said softly. He sighed but turned around to face me. "Why are you avoiding me?" I asked.

He shook his head. "I'm not."

"You clearly are, Peeta. You have hardly even spoken to me since we pulled onto the hovercraft."

"I am speaking to you right now." He said harshly.

I shook my head softly, not understanding this Peeta that stood before me. It was such a contrast to the soft and kind boy I had known my entire life. "Is this about your parents not coming here? Because if so-"

"This isn't about them, okay? I could've been the first to tell you they wouldn't leave the business to come see me, even if their own lives are at stake." He snapped.

I crossed my arms against my chest. "Okay, so if it's not about your parents then what is it about?"

"Nothing." He said quickly. "I am completely fine, Katniss." His voice had been drained of all emotions. Empty. Cold. Lost.

"Peeta," I said softly, reaching for his hand.

He let my grab it, to my surprise. But then he stared at my hand holding lightly to his own for a moment before he let go. He didn't even look up and meet my eyes when he whispered, "I need to get some sleep. Goodnight."

He slipped behind his door and shut it quickly before I even had time to respond. With a frustrated groan, I stomped across the hall to my own room. I slipped inside and found two bunk beds. My mother was asleep on the bottom of one and Prim was laying on the bottom of the other one. She sat up when I crawled into the room.

"You're still up?" I asked her before crawling into her bed with her. She laid her head against my chest and I ran my fingers through her blond hair.

She shrugged. "Just waiting for you. Plus, I'm not that tired."

"Oh, I am. I could sleep for a week and it wouldn't make up for how exhausted I feel." I said as I closed my eyes.

"Well, you can. I'll tell everyone to be extra quiet tomorrow so you can sleep in as late as you want." She responded.

I laughed and kissed her forehead. "That's okay. There are many things to do. No time for sleeping in."

She sighed and curled up even closer to me, digging her head into my shoulder. "I missed you so much, Katniss."

I smiled. "Not as much as I missed you, Prim."

And although I loved my little sister and the way she was wrapped up in my arms, I couldn't help but remember that it was the first night I hadn't slept next to Peeta since that night in the Capitol before the games. I missed him. He was fifteen feet away, separated by only a few walls and I missed him. Something was off with him. And he was slipping away from me. When I needed him the most, he was fading away.

I fell asleep eventually, dreaming of Gale's bloody and mangled body in the arena. I was standing before it, holding a trident, smiling. I had been so close to letting the Capitol turn me into monster that in my dreams, I was one.

I awoke to Prim calling my name. I sat up compeltely startled and blinked until my vision came back. "Katniss! Get up, quick! President Snow in on TV!" Prim was saying.

This got me to jumped out of bed quickly. I rushed out and into the main room where everyone was gathered around a small TV. I saw Madge in the corner with her mother, both wearing an empty look, and Peeta next to Finnick, looking just as hollow. I shook my head to clear away my thoughts of them and focused on the screen. President Snow was saying something that sounded important. A picture of Finnick flashed on the screen and then one of Haymitch, followed by Peeta, Madge, and finally me.

President Snow then said, "These are the rebel tributes and victors. They destroyed our arena, hijacked our control room, and injured many game makers." I heard Haymitch snort and I understood why. President snow didn't care about those injured game makers. He threw kids into in arena to fight to the death! That didn't exactly sound like a characteristic of a caring man.

"Any information as to where these rebels could be will be rewarded. We need your help in protecting our country against these out of control individuals."

"Yeah, that's us. The out of control rebels!" Finnick yelled sarcastically and a few people in the room snickered.

The clip of the president cut to a clip of Gale, sitting in a medal chair with a black drop behind him. I dug my fingernails into my wrist at the sight of him. He looked unharmed physically. Actually, they cleaned him up. He was freshly showered and his normally unruly hair was slicked back. He was wearing a clean white t-shirt and staring at the camera with a confused expression. Iwas scared of out my mind to glance at Madge or any of Gale's family so I kept my eyes focused directly on the TV before me.

"Gale," A voice from behind the camera called to him and he whipped his head up, his eyes startled at the sound. "Do you have anything to say to the rebels?" They weren't referring to Gale as a rebel... why not? Just because he didn't get captured by Haymitch and Finnick in time?

Gale cocked his head to the side and his brows furrowed. He looked so lost. He was silent for a long moment and then he finally said, "Don't be stupid. Hiding won't do any good. Reveal yourself, cowards."

___What?_Whoever this man was, it wasn't Gale. I couldn't help myself any longer and I finally stole a peak at Madge. She had a hand to her lips and her eyes were closed. She rocked back and forth softly in her chair. This was too much for her. This was too much for me, too.

"Do you support what the rebels did, Gale?"

Gale looked directly at the camera, directly at ___me. _It was him. Clearly, it was Gale. But his words... they didn't make sense with the Gale I had gotten to know. "Of course not. What they did was disgusting. They injured many innocent people, bombed the arena, and ran off into hiding. You better watch you back, rebels. I sure as hell won't let you get away with this." Gale said sternly and something told me, he wasn't lying. He believed in his words.

The screen faded to black and the entire room was silent. Twelve hours. It had been twelve hours since the Capitol had captured Gale and they were already turning him into something he wasn't. He wasn't being tortured, no. That would be easier than this.

I watched as Madge stood up and ran out of the room, her mother wheeling behind her. I stared at Peeta as he placed his head into his hands out of frustration. I glanced back at Haymitch and Finnick who stared at the floor in defeat. I heard the soft cries of Gale's family from across the room. They all knew. They had all figured out what I had figured out. They all understood why getting Gale back would be even harder now.

Gale wasn't getting tortured.

He was getting brainwashed.

******END OF THE BOOK ONE**

* * *

**_A/U: I know you all hate me. I KNOW I SUCK I'M SORRY. But on the plus side, Gale isn't getting hijacked... yay? You'll see what I mean by brainwashed in the sequel and you'll learn even more about what they are doing to him. (Because there is more than that)_**

**_I hated killing Madge's father but I felt it was necessary, sadly. They couldn't get away with a plan like that and not have any deaths. Poor girl, ugh_**

**_Basically, this ends with all our precious relationships hanging by a thread but that's what makes a good dramatic story, right? PLEASE write a review. Even if you never have before, it's the last chapter so write one just for that._**

**_And I want to thank you all for your support with this story. It's been such a pleasure to read all the _****_reviews, especially those who reviewed EVERY chapter. And to those who read and never reviewed, I still thank you for reading!_**

**_I will post the first part of the sequel soon, so you guys can add it to your alerts ;) OR you could just add me as an author to your alerts!_**

**_Anyways, thanks for everything and you will hear from me VERY shortly with the sequel! YAY! _**

**_P.S- I changed the pairing in this story to Peeta/Katniss and the sequel, the pairing will be set to Gale/Madge because their relationship will be a HUGE HUGE HUGE part of the sequel. It will obviously have lots of Everlark as well, but it will be baised towards Gadge. Anyways, review away on this final chapter of story one! _**


	19. SEQUEL IS UP

**A/N: THE SEQUEL IS UP.**

**MAKE SURE TO ADD "Blurring The Lines" to your story alert and check out the first chapter now! Just click on my author name! LEAVE A REVIEW THERE, PLEASE AND THANKS.**

**Enjoy!**


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